


chance may crown me

by WildConcerto



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Celebrate the Waking, Court Intrigue AU, F/M, Festival of Light, GUESS WHO IS GETTING MARRIED, Reylo Fanfiction Anthology, Undercover gone wrong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-30
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2018-12-23 02:06:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11979834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildConcerto/pseuds/WildConcerto
Summary: Once upon a time, in the undercity of Theed, on the planet of Naboo, two scavengers by the names of Rey and Finn are faced with the threat of starving... so what better remedy to sneak into the palace, while using the excitement provoked by the Queen's wedding and the Festival of Light to rob Unkar Plutt? But of course, things do not go as expected...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My very humble offering for the Reylo Fanfiction Anthology. It will be updated on Saturdays and Wednesdays. I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Special thanks to Anysia/the-reylo-void, tehanufromearthsea and the mods of the Reylo Fanfiction Anthology for beta-ing this mess of a fic!

**** “Got it!” Rey whispered with a note of triumph. 

Finn grimaced as she spoke. “Quiet! If someone else hears us, they might claim the place for their own.”

Rey rolled her eyes. “You always worry too much, Finn. It’s the evening. No one comes near this spot. All the scavengers are lining up at Plutt’s, and anyone who’s got any credits is having supper.”

“Yep, and I don’t want to eat prison food for the next ten years. I heard it’s even worse than the portions. Let’s go.”

Rey snorted as she slipped the pearl necklace in her bag, grabbing her staff. “ _ Nothing  _ is worse than portions, Finn. If what they serve in prisons is worse, then it’s got to be bantha poodoo.”

Finn wrinkled his nose. “Great way to cut my appetite, Rey.”

“Oh, come on,” chuckled Rey. “I’ve heard your stomach growl ever since we got here. I’m pretty sure it made more noise than I did.”

They headed out of the jewelry shop’s basement or, as they liked to call it, their “scavenging spot,” using the underground tunnel Rey had discovered a few weeks earlier. They travelled through a maze of sewers, where someone less experienced would have lost themselves, but not the two of them, and especially not when Finn was working on a map of the city’s underground as a useful pastime.

Rey blinked as her eyes saw the light again. It wasn’t too blinding, of course; it was twilight, and the upper atmosphere of Naboo displayed shades of pink and orange. It was her favorite time of the day, as the sky reminded her of the fine silks noble ladies would wear on special occasions, the fading clouds reminiscent of the soft texture.

Unlike other people living in the undercity, Rey and Finn could still see the sky from their home. It was one of the reasons why Rey found it hard to complain about the rusty AT-AT where they lived. As she slipped inside, right behind Finn, and they sat beside each other as they always did, she couldn’t help but pick up the pearl necklace from her bag and wave it around, marveling at the many colors the remaining rays of light coming through the AT-AT’s small window gave the pearls.

“Can we keep this one?” she asked.

“Why? What will we even do with it?” Finn chuckled. “If an officer catches you wearing that, you’re done. And anyway, we’re out of portions. We can’t afford keeping that, especially if you’re just going to use it to look at it all day.”

Rey frowned. “I wouldn’t! I’d use it to… to…” Finn tilted his head with a small smirk, while Rey scowled at him. “Fine,” she grumbled. “You take care of the exchange with Plutt. I don’t want to do it. It’s too pretty.”

“Deal,” replied Finn, shrugging. “Anyway, at this hour, the line at Plutt’s must be smaller. I think we can go. You think you can hold up until then? I may have leftovers from yesterday—”

“Finn, I’m fine. You’re the one who’s hungry.”

“Me? Nah. You, on the other hand—”

“Finn, just because I got sick last spring doesn’t mean you have to treat me like a little doll all the time. It’ll take us an hour at most to get to Plutt’s, do the trade, and come back. But you need to take care of yourself.”

Sighing deeply, Finn retrieved a chunk of hard bread from his bag, biting off a piece with some difficulty. “Don’t make me regret this,” he said, his mouth full. Rey’s only response was to hug him with a chuckle. Finn could only smile. It was hard to refuse Rey anything.

As soon as Finn was done eating, they headed out into the night. The undercity was barely lit, but Rey and Finn were used to it, having experienced it since childhood.

Finn still remembered the frightened ten-year-old little boy he’d been when he had run away from the orphanage. Rey had been in the street for a year already, still waiting for her parents, but a feisty little slip of a girl at the young age of six years old, earning her meager living by pickpocketing. They hadn’t left each other since.

Thirteen years later, as they made their way to one of Unkar Plutt’s warehouses, Rey still held his hand in the barely lit city, just like she did when they were children to make sure he wouldn’t be scared. Finn hadn’t been afraid of the dark for ages, but the habit had remained.

The undercity of Theed was as busy during the night as it was during the day. Rey and Finn were so used to the noise, however, that they barely noticed it. 

On the other hand, any unusual noises or happenings rarely escaped their notice.

A droid beeping in distress caught Rey’s attention. Tugging at Finn’s sleeve, she then let go of his hand and ran straight towards the noise.

It was Teedo, another scavenger that had given them trouble more than once. He had caught a droid in his net, unlike any Rey had seen before. It was small, and probably belonged to some Naboo noble as a companion. Its round shape, however, was unfamiliar to her, and yet she couldn’t shake away the feeling she had seen it before.

In another time, she would have let Teedo with his prey so he could take it to Plutt and exchange it for portions, and perhaps even credits. It wasn’t the first time a droid, often malfunctioning, had wandered in the undercity and been caught by scavengers. But this time…

For some reason which Rey couldn’t quite put her finger on, she couldn’t let Teedo take this droid away.

“Let him go!” she yelled, ignoring Finn running after her and pulling her arm. Teedo cursed at her in his language, but Rey didn’t move an inch, standing straight, her hands clutching her staff in case she would have to defend herself. When Teedo shook his head, and got back to work, attempting to turn off the droid while it was still trying to free itself from the net, Rey took a few steps forward, brandishing her staff to intimidate him. Teedo mumbled less than flattering names to Rey before turning his back and running away. He was already familiar with Rey’s fighting, and wasn’t exactly eager to experience it again.

“Well, that was easy,” mumbled Finn. “What are we gonna do? He might come back with some of his buddies.”

“We’ll have to hurry, then,” shrugged Rey. “Help me with the net, please?”

The droid was thankfully unharmed, apart from a bent antenna. When Finn reached for it, attempting to set it straight again, the droid immediately pointed out a stun ray, zapping Finn.

“Ouch!” he yelled. “Great way of thanking me after I rescued you!”

“For your information,  _ I  _ rescued him,” replied Rey. “Let me try.”

To Finn’s great surprise, the droid became docile while Rey fixed his antenna, even beeping in happiness and purring like a kitten. “Your name is BB-8, right?” said Rey, translating for Finn what the droid was telling her. “Where do you come from?”

Rey frowned at BB-8’s reply. “What? What did he say?” asked Finn.

“He—he says he’s been programmed to accompany and obey me,” replied Rey. “There must be a mistake.”

BB-8 shook his head. 

“BB-8, can you tell me who programmed you?” Rey asked. She was doing her best to hide her hands shaking. 

Finn’s heart tugged a little. Even after all those years, Rey was still clinging to her parents promising her they would come back after abandoning her in the undercity. Finn knew all too well it was probably a lie to cover the fact she would never see them again. But he had never dared to tell Rey the truth. But even after all those years, wasn’t he her family? To him, Rey was his little sister by everything but blood, but there were some moments where he wondered if she also saw him as a brother.

Regardless, he would stay with her and protect her, no matter what. Even if she always claimed she didn’t need protecting.

Rey’s shoulders lowered in disappointment as BB-8 answered. “He says his programming doesn’t permit him to reveal who sent him. Finn, what are we going to do?”

Finn shrugged and tried to smile, but it was anything but convincing. “I’m pretty sure we’ll know soon enough, Rey. Droids are weird.” 

An insulted BB-8 beeped in protest while Rey laughed. “That’s because you never bothered to understand them, silly,” she replied. “Let’s get going. Are you coming, BB-8?”

The droid immediately rolled to Rey’s side, purring happily. The trio started walking, but it didn’t take long for Rey to notice Finn was uneasy.

“Is there anything wrong?” she asked. 

Finn tried to smile. “Nah. I just—” 

Rey stopped, crossing her arms. “Don’t fool me. I know you well enough to know when you’re not okay.”

Finn swallowed, choosing his words carefully. “Rey… if you find your family—”

“What do you mean,  _ if _ ?” Rey interrupted him. “I  _ will  _ find them!”

Finn winced. “All right,  _ when  _ you find your family… I mean, you won’t forget me, right?”

Rey’s eyes widened in understanding. She laughed. “I’m not going to leave you in the undercity, you idiot. You’ll come with me.”

“You think so?”

“Of course! I’ll just tell them that I wouldn’t have survived without you.”

“Well, you never told me that, Miss-Know-It-All,” teased Finn.

“Just don’t get too much of a big head with that,” scowled Rey, muffling her laugh. 

* * *

Unkar Plutt was one of those noblemen who had recently gained his social status by connections, craftiness and wealth. However, he still couldn’t keep up with the lavish lifestyle he was attempting to pursue, and, like many others, he relied on undercity thugs and pickpockets to give him a bit more resources.

In exchange for whatever “goods” the scavengers brought Plutt, they received credits and food portions. Most of the time, it wasn’t even worth a quarter of what they stole, but many scavengers such as Rey and Finn had no other choice but to rely on whatever Plutt was gracious enough to provide them with in exchange for their work.

For many of the nobles, the black market was too risky, considering the previous Queen of Naboo, Soruna, had done much to destroy the system, which gained a lot of power during the Empire’s time. It made living in the lower city and undercity much safer, considering bounty hunters and other criminals didn’t run rampant anymore.

The reconstruction efforts, however, had not extended to destroying the class system the Empire had put in place: Naboo’s restoration to how it had been in the Old Republic’s times would be a long process, and some even speculated it would only be attained a hundred years after the Empire’s fall. The new Queen, Kusumina, had just been elected, and all inhabitants of Naboo hoped the situation would only get better for all of them.

Including Unkar Plutt. 

The greed in Plutt’s gaze as he noticed BB-8 entering the warehouse with Rey and Finn was far too obvious to ignore. Regardless, Rey pretended she hadn’t noticed and pulled out the pearl necklace from her bag, handing it to Plutt. He picked it up and glanced at it, with a hint of disdain.

“Krayt dragon pearls,” he muttered. “That’s worth… three portions.”

“What?” interjected Rey. “You said last week krayt dragon pearls were priceless! They’re only found on Tatooine and it’s become more and more difficult to—”

Plutt dismissively waved his hand at Rey. “For the droid, though… I’d be willing to pay a lot more. How about… sixty portions? And there will be another part of my payment for it in credits.”

Both Rey and Finn froze, looking at each other. Plutt had never been so generous.

Rey looked down at BB-8. His head was turned upwards, as if he was begging. She took a deep breath, looking one last time at Finn, who seemed to almost immediately guessing what her reply to Plutt would be. He nodded in agreement.

“Actually… the droid is not for sale,” Rey replied. “Only the pearls. And they’re worth more than that.”

Plutt scowled in anger, throwing the pearl necklace in his pocket. “Then I don’t see the point of continuing business with you. As long as you’re not willing to sell the BB unit to me, you’re fired.”

“ _ What? _ ” shouted Rey. “This isn’t fair! You have no right—”

Unkar Plutt laughed. “Oh, but I do. I know you all rely on me. Starve for a few days, and think about it. I might not make you beg too much if you come back sooner.”

“Oh no, you don’t, you son of a—” Rey grabbed her staff, ready to jump on Plutt, ignoring his thuggish bodyguards coming closer to her to defend their boss, but Finn grabbed Rey from behind. 

“Hey, we’re not trying to cause trouble here, okay?” said Finn. “We’ll just… go.”

“Good call,” chuckled Plutt. Rey was still struggling as Finn dragged her towards the exit, BB-8 in tow.

“You want us to try to catch the droid, boss?” asked one of the thugs.

“No use,” replied Plutt. “They’ll be back. The girl needs a lesson. I’m sick of her snotty attitude. You’d believe she’s some long lost princess at times.”

It took a moment after they had come out of the warehouse for Finn to calm Rey down. When she finally breathed deeply, as Finn encouraged her to do, she only snapped again after a few seconds. “The dragon krayt pearls! He still has them! That kriffing bastard is going to—”

“Hey, hey, you need to calm down, okay? I don’t want anything bad to happen to you, all right? Let’s go back home.”

“But Finn! We can’t let him get away with this!”

“I know. But we’ll find a way. I—I might have an idea. But we can’t talk about it here, right? So let’s go back home, okay?”

Rey nodded, a glimmer of hope finally managing to calm her down. If there was one person who could elaborate plans, it was Finn.

The walk back to the AT-AT was silent, and as soon as they arrived, Rey sat on her makeshift bed, BB-8 standing by her side, her feet swinging back and forth as she awaited Finn’s explanation.

“All right,” he started. “It might be risky. Well, actually, it really is. But it’s really a Force send that we found BB-8.” The droid beeped in agreement, making Rey laugh. Finn couldn’t help but chuckle. “So… I thought I could ask Maz Kanata for help. She—she could provide us with a dress and a fancy headpiece or something. We could… dress you up as a noble lady.”

Rey’s eyes widened. “Wait… what do you want to do with this? I know nothing about behaving like a noble lady! And do you really think Maz could help us?”

Finn shrugged. “I’m sure she could. I mean, do you ever wonder how she got her hands on all those weapons? And how she just happens to know lightsaber forms? She never tells us why, no matter how much we ask her.”

“I try not to ask too much,” replied Rey. “She told me once that if I kept on asking questions about it, she wouldn’t let me use the lightsaber for training anymore.”

“Yeah, well, maybe she’d let  _ me  _ use it, instead of that vibrosword,” grumbled Finn. Rey giggled, shaking her head. “Anyway, if we do manage to get Maz’s help, I’ll give you the basics of how to pass as a lady.”

“Oh, so you’re suddenly a ladies’ expert, now?” teased Rey. Finn felt his ears heat up. 

“What I meant to say is that I’ve watched a lot of them,” he continued. “How they behave, how they talk. You have a nice crisp Coruscanti accent. That’s going to help a lot. You also stand straight. That’s good too. The rest is going to be a piece of cake.”

“So, I’m going to dress up… for what? I’m just going to sneak in the upper city?”

Finn’s eyes glittered in mischief. “Well, the Festival of Light and the Queen’s wedding are coming up this week, right? Plutt’s going to be at the palace, his room will barely have any security compared to his place, and he’s going to be busy for sure.”

Rey frowned in puzzlement. “Yeah? So?”

Finn smiled. “We’re gonna rob Plutt.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who left kudos/comments!

“I still think this is a bad idea,” muttered Rey from behind the screen.

“Well, I thought you were the reckless one,” whispered Finn.

“I’m not reckless! I just happen to _know_ when I’m able to handle something. I can’t go around pretending to be a lady. The dress you got me is too long. I’ll trip on the skirt or something.”

“Didn’t you say you wanted a nice dress at some point? Like, all the time?”

“I didn’t mean it that way!”

“You always want us to keep dresses when we scavenge them!”

“I just like their colors! And silk is so soft! Finn, can you ask Maz if we can keep the dress after that? I could use the fabric to make myself a cushion. It’s so pretty.”

“ _Rey!_ ”

“Fine.” Rey stayed silent for a few minutes, focusing and making sure that she was putting her head and her arms in the right holes of the dress. She thankfully didn’t have to ask Finn for help to tie up the gown, since the closure was on the side instead of the back. She pulled down the skirt to make sure the edges fell on the ground properly, and she swung it around, mesmerized for a second by its swish. The dress was simple, but to Rey, it was something worthy of the Queen of Naboo’s wardrobe. The fabric was an emerald green, her favorite color, and she couldn’t help but run her hands on the embroidery and the pearls.

“Are you sure I should have a different hairstyle?” asked Rey.

“Yep,” replied Finn. “You’re the only person I know who wears three little buns in their hair. You don’t want to be recognized.”

Rey sighed, hesitating slightly before undoing her buns at the bottom and the middle. She quickly combed her loose hair with her fingers, letting it fall freely on her shoulders. She hesitated for a moment, as her right hand lingered on the last bun, on top of her head. She decided to leave it there so she wouldn’t look too much like a stranger to herself.

She shook her boots off her feet and slipped on the slippers that had come with the rest of her disguise. Their green color and the small pearls at their tip matched the gown, and they were comfortable. Rey was grateful Maz hadn’t given her those high-heeled horrors she’d see ladies wear sometimes. She couldn’t understand how they even managed to walk with them.

“Are you done yet?” asked Finn. “You’re taking forever!”

“Almost! Be patient!” Rey wished that there was a mirror nearby, so she could see herself and be certain she didn’t look ridiculous. Finn would be her only judge.

She took a deep breath, ignoring her heart beating in her ears and deafening all the other sounds, and came out from behind the screen.

As Finn’s eyes widened, she winced and turned away. She didn’t hear BB-8 beeping in approval. “I look terrible,” she complained.

“No! No, you really don’t. You look… nice. Really nice.” Rey jolted back to Finn in surprise. He was smiling softly. “I don’t know, Rey… I’m just… You really look like a lady. I’m proud of you.”

Rey beamed at him, trying not to laugh. “It’s not my wedding day, _mom_.”

Finn shrugged. “Well… I’ve been wanting to give you a better life for years, but I never could. I guess that for a moment, I could almost imagine—”

He was interrupted by Rey walking towards him, hugging him tightly. “You took good care of me during all those years, Finn,” murmured Rey. “Even if I can take care of myself.”

For the first time since Finn had come up with the plan, Rey felt confident.

Everything would be just fine.

 

* * *

 

When Rey, Finn and BB-8 arrived at the limit between the lower and upper cities, they quickly searched for a spot where no one would see them, permitting Rey to change clothes, walk around the upper city and get into the royal palace unnoticed.

As she changed clothes, folding her usual beige apparel neatly, Rey recalled all the recommendations Finn had given her. _Stand straight. Always look people right in the eye. Speak like you’re used to giving orders, but do it with a smile. And don’t wipe your mouth with your sleeve._

As she recalled that last recommendation, Rey was unable to stifle a laugh. “I’m ready,” she said, but it came more as a murmur, and not quite as confidently as she would have wanted to.

Finn squeezed her shoulders. “Everything will be fine. BB-8 will only make you look more believable as a lady. The rest is going to be a piece of cake. Just make sure Plutt isn’t be anywhere near his room. I’ll wait for you until you come back.”

Rey took a deep breath, and smiled shyly. “Promise you’ll stay here?”

“Hey, I don’t want to go back home and have you bursting in and yelling at me for leaving,” Finn chuckled. “Don’t forget the bag,” added Finn as he handed it to her. “And don’t forget the story we’ve made up for when you come out of the elevator. The guards are going to wonder what a lady like you was doing in the lower city.”

Rey nodded and stepped into the elevator, BB-8 in tow, her eyes not moving away from Finn’s until the doors closed.

The various social classes weren’t forbidden from going into the different parts of the capital. However, it was rather unheard of: the lower city, and especially the undercity, had a bad reputation, earned ever since the days of the Empire. Thirty years later, the restoration efforts had been massive, but this remnant of the Empire was still existing. Inhabitants of the lower levels could go in the upper city, but of course, security guards would keep a sharp eye on them, always suspecting them of being thieves looking for something valuable. It was impossible for them to enter the palace, or even come anywhere near it.

It wouldn’t be a problem for Rey. Not with her disguise.

She forced herself to breathe evenly as she got out of the elevator and two guards came towards her, their brows raised. She smiled at them, while she reminded herself to keep her chin high.

“I was in the lower city doing a bit of charity work,” she said, and she mentally congratulated herself for being a far more convincing actress than she thought she was. “Everything went fine. There’s nothing to worry about.”

The two guards nodded, reassured, and bowed respectfully before walking away. Rey tried her best to ignore the excitement tickling her stomach, but she was unable to. She had to admit she liked having people bow to her as if she was a lady.

She turned to BB-8, sighed in contentment and couldn’t stop herself from beaming. No, this would definitely be easier than she thought.

From the upper city, the palace was hard to miss, and Rey was grateful she maintained her credibility by not having to ask directions. A few gentlemen stopped to greet her, bowing their heads, and Rey became thankful that Finn and Maz had forced her to rehearse the curtsies every lady at the Naboo court should know since childhood. She didn’t trip once. Her skirt was gently caressing her legs from time to time, and Rey liked its silken feel as she walked.

Despite the purpose of it all, it was hard to deny that she was enjoying herself.

The Queen was getting married the following week, and the Festival of Light was starting its festivities tomorrow night. The palace gates were opened, and Rey only had to follow the crowd in order to get in.

As she managed to spot a servant, Rey took a deep breath as she headed towards him. For this small moment, he wasn’t a superior, but someone who would have to bow to her and call her a lady: more than anything else, Rey was terrified that he’d see right through her disguise and reveal her identity to everyone.

_Hold your head up high. Smile._

“Excuse me—” The servant’s eyes widened in surprise, and Rey tried not to show her embarrassment. A lady never apologized for asking any servant to work. She took a deep breath. She was almost there. “I’m looking for Lord Unkar Plutt’s room. Do you happen to know where I can find it?”

The servant nodded with a smile, searching for the necessary information on his datapad. “Of course, my lady. However, I see that Lord Plutt has left a few hours ago. Would you simply prefer to give me whatever message you might want to leave him?”

“No! That will be unnecessary. I would appreciate if you showed me the way. I’ll know where to find him, and I’ll return later.”

The servant nodded, and guided Rey through a maze of corridors. Thankfully, she was used to finding her way through the city, and mentally took note of the path she had to follow when she would come back later.

A few minutes later, they arrived in a corridor, with many doors flanking them.

“The door to Lord Plutt’s room would be the seventh one on the left,” said the servant. “Is there anything else you need, my lady?”

“Nothing at all,” grinned Rey. “Thank you very much.” Without thinking, Rey found herself curtsying to the servant. She scolded herself, more than ever, trying her best not to tremble. Now _that_ would blow her cover!

The servant gasped, but a shy, almost frightened smile drew itself on his lips. “You—you are very kind, my lady. Thank you.”

He turned away, leaving Rey relieved, but perplexed.

She shook her head, heading towards the door the servant had indicated. It would probably be locked: thankfully, after years of scavenging, she had become an expert at slicing through any security systems.

But the door wasn’t locked: it was opened.

Rey trembled, worrying that Plutt would be there after all, and would recognize her, and have her arrested. She slowly walked towards the door, lifting her skirt to make sure the noise of the fabric brushing the floor wouldn’t betray her. She finally came close enough to see the inside of the room.

There was a tall black silhouette, searching for something in a footlocker, until it grabbed a krayt dragon pearl necklace.

The same one Rey had scavenged the day before.

She rushed and jumped on the dark figure, unable to totally muffle what sounded like a battle cry.

Perhaps she was a thief, but she wouldn’t let someone else steal her quarry!

 

* * *

 

Finn wasn’t the only one loitering in that corner of the city. Thankfully, he stayed far away from the gates separating the lower city from the upper parts: people trying to sneak in while security wasn’t watching were, according to the guards, obviously up to no good.

Finn _was_ up to no good, but at least he was smart about it. He was used to running away from the security’s attention: what truly preoccupied his mind at that moment was Rey. She always claimed that she never needed help, but it was the first time that they were doing something big without being together. Finn tried reassuring himself by repeating that it was all his plan, and that everything would go along just fine… until it occurred to him that if something happened to Rey, he would have no one else but himself to blame.

_All right. Breathe in, breathe out. Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm—_

Something crashed into his back, and he almost tripped forward, letting out a cry. But after years of living in the streets, Finn was quick on his feet, and it took a split second before he turned around to see what – or who – had collapsed unto him.

It was a girl, around his age, her jet-black hair pulled back in a bun, her cheeks reddened by her wild running. Two dark brown eyes were staring at him, widened in surprise, but with an obvious glimmer of intelligence. Despite her tenseness, she smiled at Finn, and for a moment, he couldn’t help but think that her dimples were… nice. Even cute.

“Hi! Sorry to bump into you. Have a nice day!” the girl quickly muttered, before starting to run again. Finn was quicker than she was, and managed to grab her by the arm before she was out of reach. She tried to yank it away, but it was no use.

“Hey!” shouted Finn. “What’s going on?”

The girl quickly glanced left, and Finn, as he looked that way as well in curiosity, noticed guards coming straight towards them. And not just any guards: royal guards.

“Great, they think we’re accomplices now,” grumbled the girl. “Let’s go!”

Finn didn’t need to get told to run: his instincts had taught him years ago to fear any royal guard more than any other security figure. Thankfully, he knew the lower city better than anyone and how to get into the undercity from there without running across any patrol that might have been sent after him. It didn’t seem to be the case with the girl, considering he soon realized she was letting him guide (or rather drag) her around.

When they finally sneaked into the undercity, they stopped in an alley for a moment, catching their breath.

“All right,” Finn managed to let out. “What on Mustafar have you done?”

The girl swiftly looked away, gulping in embarrassment. Finn rolled his eyes. “Hey, no time for little secrets, _miss_!”

She didn’t appear to be the slightest bit annoyed by his interjection. Instead, she turned her gaze towards him, staring at him in the eye. “You… you don’t recognize me?” she asked.

Finn frowned, perplex. “Should I?” he asked.

The girl sighed, in what appeared to be relief. “Good,” she whispered, and before Finn could ask other questions, she raised her hand. The gesture, along with her seriousness and the way her gaze froze him into place, discouraged him from arguing any more. It took Finn a few seconds to realize his mouth was wide-open in surprise. “We don’t have time to lose,” she said, her voice quiet, but clear. “We may have escaped the guards, but next thing they’ll send after me will probably be bounty hunters. And assassins.”

“ _What?_ ”

The day was just getting better and better, and Finn could already hear Rey saying: “I told you this was a bad idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you wondering what Rey's dress looks like, [this is the closest thing I could find,](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/78/57/5e/78575e61bb7cdc2c5ba4f57c37b8cf80.jpg) BECAUSE FINDING GREEN DRESSES IS HARD OMG


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be publishing the rest almost daily from now on.

Rey tore off the hood the dark silhouette was wearing and shamelessly grabbed strands of his thick black hair. She pulled on them, hoping the intruder would lose balance and collapse on the ground, leaving him at her mercy.

He was tall and broad-shouldered, but it didn’t frighten Rey one bit. Her tactic, however, didn’t seem to cause him pain; instead, his hands quickly met hers as he yanked her arms down. Rey was thankful her legs stayed firmly around her opponent’s waist: otherwise, she would have collapsed on the ground.

She couldn’t rip her hands away from his strong grasp. She resorted to banging her head against the back of his. He let out a cry of pain, to which Rey couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction, but he was resilient.

She attempted to wriggle from his hold. The only way now was to get off his back, but somehow, her whole body refused to obey her, as if an invisible force was holding her.

She was trapped.

The bastard, whoever he was, strutted around the room, still carrying her on his back. Rey couldn’t see his face, but it was obvious he was amused by the whole situation. He wouldn’t be laughing once Rey managed to get herself free… 

Her opponent, however, hadn’t noticed BB-8 rolling behind him. The little droid zapped the man, with a squeal that sounded remarkably like a battle cry. The man groaned, finally letting go of Rey as she collapsed on the ground. She quickly got back on her feet, ready to attack again. In the meantime, BB-8 was still standing bravely in front of the enemy, brandishing a welding torch, ready to put the adversary on fire to protect Rey. 

Instead, the man turned slowly turned to face her. 

He looked nothing like Rey had expected, though she couldn’t help but wonder why. He was obviously a nobleman, despite being all dressed in black, unlike other Naboo courtiers who preferred richer colors in their clothing.

She was unsure whether he was good-looking or not: his black hair falling on his shoulders was obviously hiding big ears, and his nose and mouth were somewhat too strong for his face. There was a twinkle of mischief and amusement in his large eyes, but something darker within, and the left corner of his lips was twitched upwards. For some unknown reason, his face looked oddly familiar to Rey. 

She didn’t even realize, at that point, that she was eyeing him up and down, and that she was making no effort to hide it.

“Enjoying the sight?” he asked, and his deep voice made her jump. 

She scowled at herself. She was never that—that distracted!

Rey sighed in annoyance, shaking her head and attempting to leave the room with her head held high. She had already got herself into enough trouble by attacking a man while parading as a lady, even if said man was a thief. 

(So was she, but it was a whole other matter entirely. It really was.)

“You could at least explain why you have… startled me so, milady,” he continued, and Rey had to bite the inside of her mouth to stop herself from giving that smug bastard a lesson he’d remember for the next twenty years. She breathed deeply, remembering what Finn had told her.  _ Stay calm, and keep your head high. That will sell you as a true noblewoman. _

“Well,” started Rey, “you could explain to me why you’re snooping in a room that I know is not yours. Certainly, a gentleman such as yourself wouldn’t be… a thief.”

His expression hardened, as if Rey’s words had struck a chord. She wasn’t certain what to make of it.

“I’m not a thief,” he spat. “I had just noticed I had entered the wrong chamber and was about to leave until you made your… entrance.”

“You were looking for something in the footlocker,” Rey replied with a sly smile. “Unless it was already opened, it would have taken slicing skills to access it.  _ Very good  _ ones.”

He stared at her for a moment, his face unreadable, until a small smile drew itself on his lips. “Touché,” he said.

“So, in either case, even if you’ve mistaken rooms, you were obviously up to no good.” Rey attempted to turn in disdain and walk away, her head high, hoping her dress would swirl around to mock her drama-loving adversary, but she was unable to hide her smile, even by twitching her mouth in very ungraceful shapes.

She was a terrible actress.

She walked away, BB-8 in tow, her steps resonating in the corridor, but she soon heard someone else pacing behind her. She ignored it until she came out of the hall and entered an interior garden, suddenly turning in a different direction to see if he was still behind her.

She turned around, and he was.

“Are you following me?” she asked, crossing her arms in annoyance.

“Yes. Clever observation.” Rey tried not to wince.

“Are you going to leave?” she sighed.

He turned his head away, smirking again and raising his eyebrows. Rey’s fists couldn’t help but curl. She was furious, and it probably showed, since his smile only grew wider.

“I realize I’ve been quite uncivil,” he started, his face softening. 

Well, it was about time he’d say that. However, Rey was still on her guard. “Lord Ren,” he said, bowing his head in deference. It took a fraction of a second for Rey to remind herself to curtsey, but the name she had just heard was startling enough to make her forget about the role she had to play.

_ Lord Ren _ . Also known as the man Queen Kusumina was meant to marry.

Her day was only getting better and better.

He stared at her with a smile, as if he was expecting a reply from her. Rey swallowed, holding herself back from pinching her cheeks to wake herself up.

“Rey,” she blurted out, and she wished for a moment that something, a Gungan on a kaadu, an AT-AT,  _ anything _ , would come and just whisk Kylo Ren away, putting her out of this misery.

“Rey? Is that it? No last name?” he asked.

“ _ REN! _ ”

Rey believed until now she had fallen across the most annoying person on the entire planet, but she quickly realized that she was wrong. A redhead, his features looking like he was smelling something foul, and trapped in a uniform that looked far too tight for him, was heading quickly towards them, his feet tapping on the ground as if he had to follow a precise pace. 

“I have not been assigned to act as your nanny, Ren!” he shouted. “You are expected to be with the Queen this very minute and I catch you frolicking around with…  _ who is she? _ ” 

His last words were dripping with so much disdain Rey’s fists curled. She had been called a street urchin, a dirty scavenger, and many other unsavory names before, but this man was begging for a good punch in the face. 

Judging from the irritated scowl on Kylo Ren’s face, Rey could tell he wasn’t fond of the ginger, either. BB-8 even beeped in annoyance. 

“Well?” the redhead asked again.

“She’s my concubine!” Ren interjected. He almost immediately slapped his hand on his mouth, beet-red, realizing the gravity of what he had just said. 

Rey glared at him in fury, speechless, hoping for a moment she could kill him with his stare. “I mean, she-- she’s my cousin,” he stammered, but it was too late to convince the redhead. He scrunched his nose, looking more disgusted than ever.

“Well, whoever she is, Ren, it is quite… inappropriate to see you with her, especially so close to your wedding. You wouldn’t want to cause a diplomatic incident…”

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” replied Kylo Ren with a smirk. “After all, I wouldn’t want any child to end up in a situation such as yours, General Hux…”

At Ren’s words, Hux became almost as scarlet as his hair. He scowled, attempting to think of something scathing to shoot back. But it was only a matter of seconds before he turned away, leaving as quickly as he had come.

“ _ What _ was that about?” seethed Rey, the minute he was out of earshot. “Concubine? Cousin? Really?”

Ren blushed again. “I’m a very bad liar,” he whispered.

“I can see that! That’s really all you could come up with?”

He looked at the ground, his lips twisting in a boyish pout. Rey stifled a laugh, as he reminded her of one of those little rascals who would run around the undercity’s streets, careless of any danger surrounding them.

“Hux’s been following me all day,” said Ren. “He’s afraid I might… attempt to escape the palace.”

“What?” asked Rey. “Why can’t you get out?”

He chuckled. “It’s for my own safety, apparently. Security protocol. But I managed to find another exit.” He winked at her in mischief, and Rey tried to forget about how her heart had skipped a beat.  _ Stupid. _

“I… suppose you’re heading there as well?” he continued, with a small smile. “Perhaps we could… head there together?”

“Yes, I mean… no, I—I am heading to the upper city, but… yes, of course.”

_ Why did Finn think this whole plan was a good idea? _

“Good,” Ren grinned. “I’m happy I won’t have to make sure you don’t betray me.”

“How?” chuckled Rey in disbelief.

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe I would’ve had you fainting so I could run away in the meantime.”

“You—you—who do you think you are? Do I look like some damsel you can boss around? I—”

“Well, Your Highness-ness,” Ren replied, crossing his arms, “I know for one you are everything but well-behaved, judging by how you… jumped on me earlier.”

“It’s  _ Your Highness _ . And don’t call me that. I’m not a princess!”

“Unfortunately, I can’t tell, milady. You’re quite obstinate in not telling me who you are. So I have to guess. Are you running away from a governess? Are you one of the Queen’s handmaidens?”

“Neither. And you’ll never know.”

“Mm. A shame. I had an instinct that you were looking for trouble.”

“Well, considering you seem to want to be anywhere but with your future wife, I’m not surprised.”

Kylo Ren’s gaze suddenly hardened, and for a moment, she almost believed she was finally going to get rid of him.

“I didn’t ask to get married,” he snarled. “I didn’t ask for any of this.”

Rey frowned in puzzlement, trying to meet Ren’s eyes. “What could you possibly want, apart from this?” 

When he finally glanced at her, that stupid boyish face of his was back again. “I don’t know,” he replied. “Just… get out of the palace. It’s boring. It’s full of stuffy people. Do something exciting. Like podracing. Why not do the Kessel run?” He chuckled. 

Rey was unable of holding back a smile.

“You want a bachelor party.” She rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe it.”

“I thought you might guide me around,” he replied, almost smiling. “I wouldn’t want to get lost.”

Rey hesitated, but it wasn’t for long. Perhaps exploring the Upper City with Ren wouldn’t be too bad.

But in the meantime, she  _ still  _ hadn’t robbed Plutt… and Finn was probably worried sick.

The game was starting to get  _ more _ than out of control.

* * *

 

 

After the guards, there were now bounty hunters after them. And assassins.

Thankfully, Finn knew every single hiding place and secret passage. But while the situation was manageable, he knew they couldn’t play cat and mouse for hours. Finn could only hope that he and the girl would get to Maz’s unharmed.

“By the way… what’s your name?” he whispered while they were hiding behind a crate in an alleyway.

“Oh! I can’t believe I forgot to tell you,” she replied, laughing. Finn couldn’t help but notice that she had very nice dimples… before pinching himself. Now was not the time to think of cute girls with dimples!

No, she wasn’t…

She was cute. He couldn’t deny that.

“My name’s Rose. And you are…”

For a moment, Finn tried thinking of a better name, and an awesome backstory to go with it… but nothing came to my mind.

“Finn,” he replied, rather dumbly. But she smiled again.

“Well, Finn, thank you for rescuing me,” said Rose, and Finn was thankful that no one could see him blush.

A shadow dancing on the wall near them dragged Finn back to reality. He jumped on his feet, grabbing Rose’s hand. “We need to move. Now.”

They quickly escalated from crate to crate until they arrived on the rooftop, not looking once behind them.

The next flight of stairs led them to the undercity marketplace. Finn sighed, almost in relief. It would be easy to lose themselves from their pursuers in the crowd.

As they made their way through the mass of people, hoping to find protection among them, the usual bustle was suddenly replaced by hushed tones and people running away from the center of the marketplace.

It was a matter of seconds before Rose and Finn were back to back, each of them facing a pair of masked Twi’leks wielding the largest vibroswords they had ever seen.

“All right,” whispered Finn, taking a deep breath. “One, two, three…”

In a simultaneous gesture, they pulled out their blasters and shot their respective Twi’lek in the chest.

The market went back to its usual activity: after all, what had just occurred happened often enough. Finn and Rose turned back to each other, smiling.

“Well, that was impeccable timing,” Rose complimented Finn.

“Same for you,” Finn grinned back. “We aren’t too far from Maz’s. She’ll be able to help us.”

“Maz? Maz Kanata? That’s a relief! She’s just the person I needed to see.”

“Oh? Well, good. We should get going before others come after us, but… why are you running away? Why all those bounty hunters?”

Rose bit her lip in embarrassment. “You’re not going to believe me if I tell you,” she whispered.

“Listen, I think I’ve had my fair share of crazy events,” chuckled Finn. “I don’t think there’s anything that can really surprise me now.”

She winced, and cleared her throat. “All right. I’m the Queen of Naboo and the First Order is planning to murder me on my wedding night.”

“Wait…  _ WHAT? _ ”


	4. Chapter 4

The secret passage from the palace to the upper city was one of those old tunnels supposedly only the Queen and the people closest to her knew about. It was probably some escape route in case the palace was invaded.

Rey had been in the upper city before. However, a scavenger such as herself couldn’t  walk around without getting stopped by a security officer. It was a constant stress every time: her and Finn’s incursions in the upper city were always all about scavenging for Plutt, and they had little time to play tourists in their own city.

She knew all the corners and turns, of course, more particularly where the “scavenging posts” were. It wasn’t hard for her to guide Kylo Ren around the upper city, but she was truly discovering its beauty for the first time.

“Offworlder?” asked Ren with amusement.

Rey jolted her head towards Ren, blushing. For a second, she panicked, worried that he had seen through her disguise. She pinched herself, her eyes facing the ground instead of looking around in admiration as they did before.

“I apologize, milady,” he continued, and Rey held back a sigh of relief. “The term is considered pejorative by many. I’m still attempting to figure out who you are.”

Rey lifted her chin, chuckling. She glanced at Ren from the corner of her eye, unaware that her gaze was twinkling in mischief like a starry night and her smile was as bright as the sun. He cleared his throat. “You could at least tell me which planet you come from.”

She rolled her eyes. “Jakku.”

“Jakku? That junkyard? Don’t tell me after that that you’re just an impostor in a lady’s dress.”

Rey flinched. Another close call. Far too close.

“All right, Alderaan, then.”

His reaction was entirely different than the one she expected. He stopped walking and glared at Rey. This time, she wasn’t frightened or even nervous. She stared back, half-puzzled, half-annoyed by his sudden change of mood.

“Don’t lie about  _ that _ ,” he finally replied, his voice low.

“I wasn’t telling the truth about Jakku either,” said Rey, shrugging. “Why are you so upset now?”

Kylo Ren didn’t respond, but turned away, moving forwards again. For a moment, Rey played with the suggestion that it could be her cue to leave, but her curiosity got the better of her. She ran towards Ren on an impulse, BB-8 beeping behind her. He turned towards her as she approached, appearing calmer.

“I’m sorry for... my outburst,” he grumbled. 

Rey nodded. “Can I... ask why?”

He lowered his head. “No.”

Rey felt her ears heating in embarrassment. She scolded herself – a few minutes earlier, she would have given everything for a good excuse to run off, back to the undercity and to Finn, to her life as a scavenger, but she was now caught in a game that was getting far too complicated to her taste, perhaps even uncovering planetary-level stories and secrets.

Rey knew little of the First Order, other that it was a union of planets lead by Prana, the king of a planet called Cantonica. First Order planets had separated from the New Republic, and now, twenty years after it had appeared, it sought certain alliances with the Republic, notably with Queen Kusumina marrying Kylo Ren. She wasn’t aware of what Ren’s position was within the First Order, nor what Alderaan had to do with it all. Despite her curiosity gnawing at her, she realized it would be no use pressing the matter further.

They had arrived in front of a portal, silk portraits of kings and queens of the past on each column. Rey ran towards the first one, BB-8 following her as always, as she marveled at the rich colors displayed.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” interjected Ren, pulling Rey out of her daydream. “I wouldn’t want to be in their place for anything in the world.”

Rey cast a puzzled glance towards Ren. She held back all the questions tickling her tongue. The great and the mighty of the galaxy had a life she could only aspire to in her wildest dreams. Never hungry, never worried whether they had a roof on their head or not…

If she was Queen, she would live in a garden. She was always fascinated by how flowers came in different shapes and colors, and she always made sure at home that there were a few in an old tin can she would fill with water. They always withered a few days later, forcing Rey to replace them, while she would dream of a garden where there were always flowers blooming.

“You disagree, milady?”

She cast him a sideways glance. “You’re the Queen’s future consort. Don’t you want this?”

“What makes you think that?”

The question puzzled Rey. She remained silent for a few seconds.

“I’m sure a lot of other men would want to be in your place,” she finally replied. “And you’d never be worried whether there would be food on your table the next day, or a roof on your head.”

Ren stared at her for a moment, as did she, while she awaited his response. He chuckled. “Well then, that was helpful. Now I know you’re not a Queen walking around in disguise, nor a princess. You haven’t mentioned the responsibilities and obligations that will come.”

Rey sighed in exasperation. “You really can’t let it go, can you?”

He bowed with mischief. “I have no intention to, milady.”

They had come towards the end of the line of portraits, the last one being of course Queen Kusumina, dressed in blue and surrounded by white roses. Rey lingered for a moment in front of it, turning afterwards to Ren, who was standing a few columns behind.

The Queen who had caught his attention was dressed in red and gold, her long hair hanging behind her back in a braid. It was Queen Amidala: from the little Rey knew of her, she had later become a senator for Naboo and had mysteriously passed away on the day the Empire was born.

There were many legends circulating about Padmé Amidala’s enigmatic death, ranging from the Emperor ordering her death since she would be considered too dangerous, to the angels of Iego whisking her away to a better place.

“You knew her?” Rey asked. “I mean, do you know anything about her? You seem… pensive.” She paused for a few seconds. “I like to believe she went into hiding,” Rey continued. “It’s less sad. And that whatever happened to her, she was alright. And safe.”

He became somber. “I won’t tarnish your optimism,” Ren grumbled, and turning away from Queen Amidala’s silk portrait, he headed towards a few fountains not far away.

Rey followed suit, unsure if Kylo Ren’s behavior intrigued her or annoyed her.

He sat on the edge of the largest one, his cheek resting on his curled fist and a wistful pout on his lips. A few droplets of mist landed in his hair, and he absent-mindedly combed his hair back.

“You’re very odd, you know,” said Rey, sitting beside Kylo Ren, her hand dipping in the fountain’s basin. BB-8 beeped in approval. 

“Says the strange girl without a name who tried to knock me out.”

Rey sighed in exasperation. “Well, I guess we’re even, then?”

He chuckled, forgetting whatever sad shadow had been looming over him. He took a deep breath, as if he was struggling to find the right words, but a stern clearing of throat interrupted him before he could even speak.

A blonde, short-haired woman, dressed in a black and silver dress, was glaring at them both, a group of people behind her glancing at them in curiosity. 

Ren immediately got on his feet, and Rey followed suit, uneasy. BB-8, sassy as always, let out what could be perceived as a groan of annoyance. “Captain Phasma,” Ren greeted the woman, standing perfectly straight.

“Lord Ren,” Phasma replied. “I hope you won’t mind joining us.”

It was a barely veiled warning. Rey noticed Kylo Ren clenching his jaw and curling his fists, but despite his anger, he lowered his head, more in defiance than in submission, and joined the group as they walked away.

A petite middle-aged woman split from the group, her dark blue gown spreading around her as she hurried towards Rey with a smile.

“Let me accompany you,” she said, and Rey was unable to refuse. She was stuck… again.

The journey back to the palace was silent. From time to time, Rey would slip an inquisitive glance towards the lady accompanying her. It didn’t take long before she noticed it, and her enigmatic smile made Rey blush in embarrassment.

When they entered the main hall, Kylo Ren broke away from Phasma’s watch, rushing towards Rey. For a split second, he stopped, casting a nervous look towards her companion, but, squaring his shoulders, he moved forward.

“Will I… will I get to see you again?”

Rey looked left and right, unsure what to answer, and trying not look too much at Ren’s almost pleading features. It was a wonder, how he stood over her like a giant, but the sight of her made him look like a little boy.

She cleared her throat, trying to sound more certain of herself than she truly was. “Maybe?” she replied, her voice far too squeaky to her taste. She didn’t want to give him false hope: as soon as he left, she would get out of the palace as quickly as she could. She had had her fair share of adventures for the day.

“I think that might mean yes,  _ Ben _ ,” replied the woman, making both Rey and Kylo Ren –  _ Ben _ – jump in surprise. Surprise, perhaps at least on Rey’s side.

Kylo Ren was trembling, his gaze wildly searching for something nonexistent in the main hall. Without further ado, he bowed, and was about to leave when a group of Naboo guards, accompanied by others clad in black uniforms forced him to stop.

“Lord Ren,” said one of the guards, “you are requested to go the Council Chamber immediately. It’s an emergency.”

The woman took a few steps forward. “Whatever for? The opening ceremony for the Festival of Light is only in a few hours.”

The guard bowed. “With all due respect, Your Majesty, we are trying to keep the matter as private as possible, until it isn’t possible.”

Kylo Ren nodded, moving forward, and the guards following suit. Before Rey could do the customary curtsey to the queen accompanying her, her companion turned towards her with a soft smile.

“Would you mind accompanying me to my chambers? I’d appreciate a little company.” Her tone was gentle and kind, but there was an undeniable authority about it, and Rey was unable to make up an excuse to leave. She cursed herself. After everything that had happened today, she should’ve known better.

She forced herself to smile, curtseying as a way of accepting but screaming on the inside.

“Your name is?” asked the queen.

“Rey, Your Majesty,” Rey managed to answer.

“I’m Queen Leia of Alderaan,” she replied. “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.”

At the mere mention of the name, Rey’s eyes widened, and she couldn’t help but jump in excitement, forgetting about how  _ improper  _ it would be.

“Queen Leia? The rebel hero? I—I can’t believe it!” Rey let out a laugh, before remembering who she was supposed to pose as, and who she was speaking to, and immediately calming herself, staring at the ground.

To her relief, Queen Leia laughed as well. “It’s alright. You’re not the first one to react that way when meeting me for the first time. I have to say it pleases me. When I was a child, my father would tell me it was my duty to fight the good fight, and by that encourage the people of Alderaan to do the same. I’m glad to see it extends to young women elsewhere as well. The Empire might have fallen, but there is still a lot of work to do.”

Rey nodded in agreement, thinking of how Naboo was still struggling to reconstruct itself thirty years later. Perhaps Queen Kusumina would be the one to help the inhabitants of the undercity out of their misery—if nothing happened to her, of course.

After a moment in silence, Rey gathered her courage to ask the one question poking at her mind.

“Do you… happen to know Lord Ren?”

Queen Leia’s features became melancholic despite her small smile. “I do,” she whispered.

* * *

 

 

Maz Kanata’s cantina was a haven within the many dangers of the undercity – at least for Finn and Rey. Being a scavenger had its risks, which also included being at odds with other scavengers. But if there was one person in all of the undercity who had everyone’s respect, it was Maz Kanata.

She had been a pirate for nine hundred years, before finally docking in Theed. From the day Finn and Rey stumbled across her path, Maz had become a mentor of sorts for them, teaching them not only how to use a blaster, but also the art of sword fighting.

Finn had learned how to wield a vibrosword, but Rey, at Maz’s insistence, had the privilege of training with a lightsaber, the Jedi’s weapon. Finn had always been more than jealous, though training with a lightsaber also included very boring meditation exercises Maz deemed necessary. Still… fighting with a lightsaber, just once, would be nice. Just to imagine, for five minutes, that he was one of the Jedi of old.

The thought occurred to him that he could perhaps sneak into where Maz kept her weapons, steal the lightsaber, and tell Rose – Queen Kusumina – he was a padawan training in secret to impress her. But on the other hand, it would probably mean Maz would pull his ear while yelling at him and make fun of him for the next five years.

He would have to stay Finn, a lowly scavenger whose sole purposes all centered around Rey.

Finn had no idea how to behave around a Queen. The first thing he did when they arrived at the cantina, in a room Maz used as a private lounge, was to offer the Queen a seat. When someone important visited, Maz always gave them food and drink, all on the house, but Finn was uncertain that what the cantina offered was suitable for the Queen of Naboo.

In the meantime, Queen Kusumina was glancing outside, paying attention to the undercity street’s every little detail. Her face was pensive and serious all at once, and Finn didn’t dare to bother her in her thoughts.

“What do you do for a living, Finn?”

Finn panicked, unsure of what to reply to the Queen. He had no idea how she would react to her savior being nothing more than a thief.

“Scavenger” was vague enough for someone who knew probably nothing of the undercity’s ways.

“I’m just a scavenger,” Finn replied. “Nothing important.”

“Oh. A pickpocket, then.”

_ Oh well. _

“Don’t be afraid,” the Queen replied, laughing. “I’m not going to have you arrested. Not after you saved my life.”

A wave of relief came over Finn. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about  _ that.  _ He’d just have to worry about the Queen of Naboo on the run for a reason he didn’t know about yet apart from some mundane mention of assassination. Not to mention Rey was going to murder him for not staying at his post…

“And for saving my life, I will grant you one special favor. You can call me Rose. Rose Tico was my name before I was elected Queen.”  

Despite helping Rey to prepare for her undercover mission for hours, Finn had no idea how to thank a Queen for such an honor.

“Um, thanks, I guess—I mean thank you, Your Highness—Majesty!”

He lowered his head, cringing. But Rose chuckled.

She had a cute laugh.

But she was the Queen, and he had to remind himself that he didn’t stand a chance.

“So… what’s the whole business with people wanting you dead?” asked Finn, trying to think of something else.

Rose sighed. “It’s… complicated. I’ll try to make it simple. You’ve probably heard of the First Order, haven’t you?”

Finn winced, trying to call back distant memories. “They’re planets that separated with the New Republic, right? I don’t really keep up with politics.”

“That’s true,” replied Rose with a smile. “The New Republic is worried about that, though. They’re afraid we might end up in a situation like the Clone Wars. There’s been discussions in the Senate on Hosnian Prime. They decided to make a political alliance to ensure peace.”

Finn nodded. Perhaps he didn’t know much about politics, but he had read a lot about galactic history. It was a pastime of his.

“So… is it a commercial deal? Military? Wait…” The truth suddenly came upon Finn, hitting him like an X-Wing. “Oh. The wedding.”

She was  _ definitely  _ off-limits.

“So… their idea for a political alliance is a wedding?” asked Finn in disbelief. “That’s the kind of thing that happened a thousand years ago.”

“Ever since the Empire’s fall, the Queen’s reign is a lot longer than it was before. Twenty years instead of eight, and an election every ten years instead of four. That was partly to help with the restoration efforts. We need something more permanent and continuous… for now.”

Finn twitched his mouth. “I suppose those things take time.”

Rose stared at him. Finn felt his ears heating up. He had been too honest.

“What do you mean?” asked Rose.

“I said too much, Your Majesty. I’m sorry.”

“No, no, please, let me insist. I just started my time as Queen, and… I want to do my best. And help people.”

Finn nodded. “Well, life isn’t easy in the undercity. You probably saw that while we were running around. And there are the social classes too. There are some nobles who… abuse the lower classes.”

Rose’s eyes widened. “That’s terrible. I never knew about that. I mean-- no one ever told me.” She closed her eyes, her brows furrowed. “I think I haven’t been told a lot of things.” 

She reached for Finn’s hand. He found himself speechless. “Thanks for telling me,” she whispered. “Once all of this is over, I know where I’ll start.”

Finn frowned, half skeptical, half hopeful. “You mean it?”

Rose nodded. “I do. I want to be a good Queen.”

From that moment, Finn was convinced she would be.

“So… what does your wedding have to do with people attempting to murder you?” asked Finn.

“The First Order… has strong ties with the Empire. Or rather, we think they do, thanks to intel that informed us that it was founded by Imperial remnants who hid in the Unknown Regions after the Battle of Jakku. Their leader is King Prana. He rules the planet of Cantonica, and he owns a lot of casinos, theatres and opera houses throughout the galaxy. He’s extremely powerful. And the New Republic wants to stay on good terms with him. We can’t afford another conflict.”

Rose sighed, straightening her tunic. “The thing is, the First Order wants war. And it wants to bring the Empire back.”

“All right, so why do they want you married with one of their big heads?”

“They don’t want to start a war openly,” answered Rose. “It would be damaging for both sides. And they need as much sympathy as possible. The best way to do that is to get me married, and have me murdered on the wedding night. In case the Queen dies, her consort must take over until there’s a new election. And that can take months to prepare, especially on short notice. In the meantime, you could say that the First Order would be ruling Naboo.”

“How would they cover up for the murder?”

“That’s the catch. A lot of people in the Senate have been very vocal about their distrust for the First Order. They would accuse them of murdering me, and a lot of people would follow. The First Order would claim its innocence and accuse the Senate of prejudice. That’s when the war will begin.”

Finn took a deep breath. “All right. That’s a lot of information to process. But how did you learn of all this?”

“I—I have an ally, who’s part of the First Order. But not really, of course. They told me everything. I can’t ask for anymore of their help, though – that would put them in big trouble, and they already have more than their share. That’s why I needed to get to Maz. And then, you rescued me,” concluded Rose with a large smile. “You know the rest.”

Finn grinned, concentrating on her eyes rather than her smile and her dimples. Bad idea. Her eyes twinkled like a cloudless night sky.

“So I guess we just have to wait for Maz to come back,” Finn managed to reply.

“Yes,” said Rose. “And in the meantime, I have a bodyguard.”

Finn had to admit, he rather liked that role. 


	5. Chapter 5

As Rey and Leia entered the apartments assigned for the Alderaanian suite, a blonde middle-aged woman welcomed them both with a curtsey.

“Evaan, this is Rey,” said Leia. “Would you mind telling Korrie to bring us some hot cocoa? And make sure we stay alone, please.”

Evaan nodded with a smile, and exited the room.

“I bet you’ve never had hot cocoa before,” Leia said with a small smile.

“Is it a special Alderaanian beverage?” asked Rey. Leia’s smile only became wider.

“It’s quite common, actually, but I think you’ll like it. I have a feeling you have a sweet tooth.”

Only two words were ringing in Rey’s mind:  _ quite common _ . It was over. Queen Leia knew who she truly was.

But instead, two warm hands squeezed hers. “Don’t worry,” whispered Leia. “I don’t know why you’re here, or what you were doing, but I won’t betray your secret.”

“But-- but how did you guess?” asked Rey. 

Leia shrugged. “I’ve seen and met a lot of ladies in my life. I can tell when one is not. But I have to say you’re quite good at pretending,” she added with a chuckle. 

Evaan came back in, two cups filled with hot cocoa in her hands, before exiting the room again, leaving Rey and Leia alone.

“Thank you,” said Rey. “I—I need to get back to my brother. I wasn’t supposed to go around in the upper city for so long. I got… distracted.”

Leia chuckled. “By Ben? If he’s anything like his father, that’s hardly surprising.”

Rey raised her questioning gaze towards Leia. But Leia grinned.

“How about I send your brother a message? Maybe send him an outfit so he can get in and join us? I’d love for you two to accompany me for the Festival of Light opening ceremony, tonight.”

Rey’s eyes widened. “Really? You mean it? I—I’ve never seen the lanterns up close!” She clapped her hands together, unable to hide her giddiness. But it was short-lived. “But… there will be other Naboo nobles. Some of whom might… recognize me.”

“Don’t worry about that. If anyone comes and looks for trouble, I’ll back you up. My word as Queen against theirs. They don’t stand a chance. And I’ll lend you a gown. You can’t show up with the same for the ceremony tonight. It’s a matter of protocol. It’s silly, but we have to keep your cover believable, of course.”

Rey didn’t have time to thank Leia before Evaan burst into the room.

“I’m sorry to interrupt you both. But someone wishes to speak with you,” she said, handing a commlink to Leia. “It’s very important.”

Leia immediately got up, grabbing the commlink from Evaan’s hands. “Thank you,” she replied, pressing on the button.

“ _ Rose to Amidala?” _ asked a female voice. _ “I’m so relieved to finally reach you!” _

“I’m glad to hear your voice,” replied Leia. “I suppose you’ve reached our contact in the undercity?”

“ _ I did! I got some help.” _

“How ugly did things get for you to get away from the palace?”

_ “Uglier than we expected it to be. There was a murder plot. Execution during the honeymoon.” _

For a moment, Leia’s haunted gaze stared into the emptiness in front of her.

_ “Amidala?”  _ the voice from the commlink asked.

Leia focused back, and chuckled humorlessly. “During the honeymoon? Talk about having a flair for the dramatics. Who warned you?”

“ _ I prefer not telling you. Not right now. It wouldn’t be safe for them.” _

“I understand. We’ll come up with a plan soon. But I’ll have to show up at the Festival of Light opening ceremony, if there is one. I don’t know how they’ll handle the news. I can’t let anyone get suspicious about me if I don’t show up.”

_ “Of course. Thank you for everything.” _

Leia threw the commlink on a table, and let herself fall in a nearby chair, burying her face in her hands. Rey faced the ground, uncomfortable.

“You’re probably asking yourself what this is all about,” Leia finally whispered. “I think you have a right to know. The First Order wants war with the New Republic. Their master plan is to have the Queen murdered during the honeymoon, after her wedding with—with Lord Ren. I—I suppose the deed would be carried out by him. After all, he’s in the perfect position to do it.”

Rey did her best to hide her trembling, but it was no use. She tried to speak, but nothing intelligible would come out of her mouth. 

She had spent the afternoon with a would-be murderer. 

She cleared her throat. If there was one thing she hated, it was to be left in the dark. “Wh—why were you calling him Ben, earlier?”

Leia sighed. “Ben is the name my brother chose for him. He’s my son.”

“ _ What _ ?” shouted Rey. “But then, he’d be—”

“The crown prince of Alderaan. Or what’s left of it,” added Leia, her voice bitter. “And the future governor of Birren as well.”

“But… why isn’t he with you, on your side? What is he doing with the First Order?”

Leia smiled, wistful. “It’s a long story… let’s just say that I married someone who was considered to be below my rank and whose lifestyle had nothing to do with mine. But we loved each other. And I still can’t admit that it was a mistake on my behalf. I don’t regret it despite myself.”

Leia got up from her chair, forcing herself to stand steady. “When Ben was a child, he was so much like his father. I tried my best to get him used to the protocol, the etiquette, his future duties, but there was no use. It never interested him. He was… very Force-sensitive too. My brother tried to train him.”

“Force-sensitive? Like the Jedi?”

“Yes. Ben had amazing potential. But being a prince or a Jedi didn’t interest him. He wanted to become a pilot and a smuggler, just like his father. No use telling him being a smuggler was illegal,” chuckled Leia. “Anyway, Han supported Ben in all this. But I thought at the time he was encouraging bad behavior, and Han and I had an argument. It got ugly, and he left. I had to force Ben to focus on his duties. So I sent him away to Luke.”

Leia glanced at Rey staring at her with her mouth open. “I know I was wrong. Very wrong. I won’t hold it against you if you see me otherwise, now.”

Rey shook her head. “No! I’m just…” It didn’t make sense. Families were meant to be together. And when they couldn’t, they would promise to each other to come back and be a whole again.

_ Didn’t they? _

“Anyway,” Leia continued, “we have… family secrets. When Ben got older, he discovered one of them by accident. I should have told him about it a long time ago. Obviously, he was angry at me, and at my brother Luke. We had a big fight, and he left. He disappeared. We couldn’t find him anywhere. Then a few months later, we learned that he had joined the First Order’s ranks.”

Leia’s face became somber. “They played innocent at the time. But unlike a lot of people, I’ve lived through the Empire’s time. It started the very day I was born. I swore it wouldn’t take away another loved one from me… but it looks like I failed. Again.”

The Queen grimaced, as if she was holding back tears. However, when she lifted her gaze towards Rey, her eyes were dry.

“There’s nothing much I can do, now. The only thing left for me is to stop the First Order, by any means possible.”

Rey closed her eyes, attempting to process everything Leia had just revealed to her. Including the fact that she had just spent the afternoon with the Queen’s would-be murderer.

He had been annoying. And stupid. And strangely charming (“strangely” meant that he was very bad at being charming, even if he was doing his best… which made it worse). But she would have never suspected him of being a monster.

Rey closed her eyes, seething. She wouldn’t let herself be played with again.

* * *

 

 

In the end, the Naboo council, along with the First Order and other representatives of the New Republic, decided to keep the Queen’s disappearance secret to the people—for now.

The opening ceremony would still go on, but just before the lanterns’ release, the Queen’s vanishing would be announced publicly. There would be no festivities: instead, the lit lanterns would fly away, in the hope that their trail from the palace would guide the lost Queen back home.

In the meantime, guards and other forces would continue their searches, without the populace interfering. It was for the best, and it would help keep a better control on the situation. 

“I don’t like this,” said Leia. “The Queen ran away, but they omitted that entirely during the meeting. I’m starting to wonder if people on the Naboo council are with the First Order.”

“Is that even possible?” asked Rey.

Leia sighed. “I’ve seen many things during my life. Treason for a more appealing political situation is common. The Empire falling didn’t change that.” She shook her head, shooing away any worries or other painful thoughts. “Do you want me to ask someone to help you change?” she asked Rey. “I’ve had a dress prepared for you in the other room.”

Rey shook her head, and headed towards the room at her left, closing the door behind her.

She was alone.  _ Finally _ .

She glanced at the dress lying on the bed in front of her. It was even prettier than the green gown she was wearing: a blue as dark as the night sky, with a train made of a transparent cloth embroidered with tiny gems like stars.

She took off her gown, threw it away from her, and climbed on the bed in her underwear, curling in a ball.

For a moment, she considered slipping away without a word of goodbye to Leia. She wished she was back with Finn, scavenging to earn their daily meal and the two of them joking later about the day around a fire, despite all the hardships they could have run into. But now, Naboo didn’t seem as safe as it had before.

Not that the undercity had a traditional definition of “safe”. But it was still home. Now, it was a home that was controlled by not just by greedy nobles such as Unkar Plutt, but by forces far beyond Rey’s knowledge.

She could take both dresses with her, and sell them. Use the money to buy a ship, and leave with Finn. And…

There were other worlds waiting for her in the galaxy, but she had no idea where to go. Nor how to fly a ship.

And Leia had been so kind, and Rey couldn’t help but feel guilty at the mere thought of stealing from her. That was a first, she mused.

She put the dress Leia had provided her with on in resignation, and was about to come out of the room when someone knocked on the door.

“Miss? Are you done dressing?” asked a female voice on the other side.

“Yes, I am,” replied Rey.

A young, dark-skinned girl around Rey’s age opened the door and came in. “Her Majesty the Queen sent me. I need to take care of your hair and your makeup.”

Rey’s eyes widened. “I don’t need any help!”

“Please,” begged the girl. “It’s to help you.”

Dress-up. Again.

At least the girl insisted on Rey not seeing anything until the very end. She couldn’t help but admire the girl’s patience, considering she was making her job much harder every time a stick came straight towards her eye for the sake of “making her pretty” rather than poking her eyes out and leaving her blind.

When the girl was done and Rey was finally permitted to look, she barely held herself back from gasping in astonishment.

She was the girl staring at herself in the mirror, and at the same time not. Her bun was gone, and for a split second, Rey felt naked without one. Her hair was instead falling freely in large curls onto her shoulders, and she wasn’t quite certain yet whether she liked it or not.

She was thankful the girl hadn’t given her the heavy makeup some Naboo ladies or the Queen had a fondness for, but instead something very light that accentuated her traits. Her eyelids were covered with a powder with small silver flecks like stars, which made the green and the gold in her eyes more vivid, and her eyelashes were blackened by mascara that made them stand out even more. Her lips were pinker than usual, too – she found herself pouting to get a better look at the color.

After a few minutes, she took a few steps back, looking at the result in its entirety.

For a moment, Rey could almost imagine she was an empress, and not some miserable little scavenger from the undercity.

“Thank you,” she managed to mutter, smiling in gratefulness to the girl, who beamed and bowed in return. They headed towards the door; BB-8 rolled in the second it was opened, turning around Rey and beeping in approval.

Leia was close behind, dressed in grey, and with a majestic coat sweeping down to the floor. Rey felt very small and insignificant, once again. In front of Queen Leia Organa of Alderaan, she was truly nobody.

“Ready?” asked Leia with a smile. Rey could only nod in response.

Leia took her arm, and Rey couldn’t calm down the butterflies in her stomach, as worry invaded her, stemming from the fear that she’d make a mistake and that her cover would be blown, her disgrace tainting Leia as well. She forced herself to take a few deep breaths to reassure herself.

“You look beautiful, Rey,” said Leia. “A real lady. Everything is going to be just fine.”

Rey could only hope.

* * *

 

 

When they arrived on the great balcony where the opening ceremony would take place, Rey couldn’t help but look around at all the royals and nobles surrounding her, wishing for a moment she could glance in a hundred places at once.

There were people of all shapes and sizes – humans, of course, but also Gungans, Twi’leks, Mon Calamari, Rodians, Zabraks, Togrutas, and many other aliens Rey couldn’t name. The experience was dizzying, and she almost believed she was not on Naboo anymore, but on Coruscant.

The Queen’s handmaidens were going from dignitary to dignitary, grouped in pairings, one person in each of them receiving the famous lanterns for the Festival of Light’s opening ceremony. When the time would come to release them, it would take one person to hold the lamp while the other lit it up, so the two of them could afterwards release it in the sky together. 

Despite all her previous troubles, Rey was unable to hold back her excitement. Her one regret was that Finn wasn’t here with her, as she remembered all those years where they would admire the lanterns’ release from down in the undercity.

At least Finn wouldn’t be too worried about her well-being: Leia had informed her a few minutes earlier that he couldn’t join them, for he had a much more important mission at hand: protecting the runaway Queen along with the contact, who was none other than Maz Kanata herself. Rey tried not to think of Finn too much: she had the disagreeable feeling that she had also dragged him in something that was too big for them both.

No: if someone deserved to become a hero, it was Finn. Finn, whom she always protected, and who protected her, and who always came up with the best plans. He would always find a way, no matter where he ended up. 

All Rey wanted was to leave Naboo and explore the rest of the galaxy, find beauty elsewhere than in the splendor of the upper city and the palace of Theed, while remaining insignificant and unseen. It was the best way to see everything.

Rey glanced around, attempting to keep her head high while looking more confident than she truly felt. But in one of the corners of the great balcony, there was someone whose presence made her freeze: Kylo Ren.

In the middle of all the colors the royals and dignitaries displayed, he was the only one dressed in black, as for a funeral. Rey huffed. He was wearing the stupidest cape ever, too – was he trying to look  _ even more  _ dramatic? Not to mention that he was standing there, sulking. Rey grimaced and rolled her eyes. He couldn’t be trying harder to cry out that he was having the worst time of his life.

If he hadn’t been the Queen’s murderer, perhaps Rey would have felt sorry for him. She couldn’t help but compare his face to one of the sculptures she had seen at the palace entrance earlier, but she quickly chased that thought away. It was far too flattering for him. 

And when he became slightly less bored when he caught sight of her, it only made matters worse. He had another one of his almost-smiles plastered on his face, his mouth opening slightly and his eyes shining as she noticed him eyeing her up and down in wonder.

However, he wouldn’t trick her again. She glared at him, forbidding him to come any closer. She saw his mouth twitch slightly as his countenance became somber again, and he retreated to his corner like a wounded animal. Rey was unable to hold back a smile of satisfaction as she turned back towards Leia, who was discussing banalities with other guests.

The chatter died down as people hushed and gathered to the side. A Naboo dignitary entered, surrounded by royal handmaidens in their traditional hooded robes, and a man, lavishly dressed in black and gold, whom Rey did not recognize. 

He managed to appear opulent and somehow unkempt all at once, with a strange majesty about him. Rey could only assume he was a king from a foreign planet.

He stopped in his tracks, staring at BB-8, whose head shot up. He beeped in dismay, and rolled towards Rey, hiding behind her. She didn’t have the chance to ask BB-8 what was wrong, for the man in black and gold was now looking straight at her.

Under his gaze, Rey couldn’t help but shiver, feeling uncomfortable and disgusted for some strange reason she was unable to explain. He didn’t turn away, and Rey was about to run from the balcony, hoping the man wouldn’t follow her, until something dark suddenly shielded her.

It was Lord Ren.

Despite her best efforts, Rey couldn’t push away a hint of relief, and Ren glaring at the man in black and gold brought a certain feeling of protection, warm and comforting. She couldn’t say she hated it.

But why did it have to be  _ Lord Ren _ , of all people?

“Go away,” she hissed. Kylo Ren glanced down at her, his mouth twitching and his hands curled. For a moment, he appeared as if he was going to say something. Instead, he turned away, crawling back to his dark corner like the night creature he was.

Around Rey, people had started talking again: everyone was wondering why there were royal handmaidens without their Queen.

The Naboo dignitary lifted his hand.

“We welcome you all on this evening marking the beginning of the Festival of Light,” he started. “As you know, these festivities mark the day when the planet of Naboo, led by King Jafan, joined the Old Republic, more than nine hundred years ago. The Festival of Light was interrupted for many years under the Empire’s harsh governance, but thirty years ago, it was re-instated, as Naboo, along with all the other planets under the Empire’s rule, once more became free. Let these lanterns be a reminder of the glorious day Naboo became part of the Old Republic, and also the first time light was released in Theed after Emperor Palpatine’s defeat.”

The dignitary cleared his throat and stiffened, bracing himself for the reaction that would follow his next sentences. “The Festival of Light was to be concluded by an event that would, I am certain, ensure peace for the next generations, with an alliance between our young Republic and the First Order. However… I have the great burden to announce that--” He stopped, and took a deep breath, but still paled. “The Queen has gone missing.”

People around Rey started talking all at once, and she couldn’t catch any of the words that were being thrown around. Probably something about conspiracies, betrayal, and other things Rey would have never suspected before while trying to survive in the undercity. Guards tapping their spears on the ground calmed the crowd once again.

“Searches have already begun,” continued the dignitary, struggling to finish. “We have not yet informed the people of Naboo, in order for the search parties to be as efficient as possible. The opening ceremony will still take place, but all activities afterwards will be concentrated on finding the Queen and ensuring her safety. In fact, they start right now.” 

He took the lantern a royal handmaiden handed to him. “Tonight, we do not release those lanterns solely to celebrate Naboo’s freedom. We release them for our lost Queen, in the hopes that the lanterns’ luminous trail will lead her back home.”

Leia pressed her hand to Rey’s arm softly, while holding the lantern both of them would have to release in the night sky. Rey was given a small match by a royal handmaiden, and BB-8 provided her with some fire.

As she got up, ready to light up the lantern, Kylo Ren had headed towards her and Leia, slipping his hands under his mother’s and holding the lantern as well. Leia’s expression was indescribable - angry, questioning, grieving and happy all at once.

For a moment, Rey found herself hesitating, almost tempted by the idea of setting Lord Ren’s cape on fire. She glanced at Ren, who was determinedly at staring at the lantern and not making any visual contact with her or Leia.

Without further ado, she lit the lantern, and as soon as the signal was given, all three of them released it in the night sky. Its light, along with all the others, gradually became one with the stars.

A few people applauded; others were already starting to gossip about the Queen vanishing. Rey had only one thing in mind: leaving and forgetting about all of the galaxy’s greater problems.

Without a word to Leia, and ignoring Ren, she ran out of the main balcony, heading straight towards Leia’s apartment. She would give the dress back, put her disguise back on, and head straight to the undercity.

She heard heavy, irregular footsteps behind her, and Rey lifted her skirts and started running. However, whoever was pursuing her managed to catch up with her.

“Rey!  _ REY! _ ”

Rey stopped and turned around in fury, glaring at Kylo Ren.

“What do you want, Lord Ren?” she seethed. “Or should I say  _ Prince Ben _ ?”

If she needed to knock him out to get out of this cursed palace, then so be it.

 

* * *

 

Maz had hidden both Finn and Rose in the basement: at this point, staying in the lounge had become too dangerous. 

The weapons Finn and Rey used for training were all lying in a corner, and they were the first thing that caught Rose’s attention.

Finn grabbed his vibrosword, twirling it around, occasionally glancing towards Rose to check whether she was watching or not.

He missed all the small moments where she did; all he saw was her holding Rey’s lightsaber and looking at it, fascinated.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a lightsaber before,” she whispered. “Do you know how to duel with one?”

For a moment, Finn was tempted to respond with an affirmative, but he was unable to find the words to lie.

He winced in an attempt to smile. “Um-- no. I-- just learned to wield a vibrosword. Maz only let Rey play around with the lightsaber. I don’t know why,” he sighed in exasperation.

Rose laughed. “Knowing how to wield a vibrosword is pretty impressive. Most guards just use blasters nowadays. It’s only my personal guard that knows melee combat.”

“Really? I mean, I can use a blaster, you have to when you live around here,” Finn chuckled. “Never thought people who know how to swordfight were rare.”

“People who can wield a lightsaber are even rarer,” replied Rose. “Especially since the Jedi disappeared.”

Finn was pensive. “You’re saying… that only Jedi can wield a lightsaber?”

“That’s what the legends say.”

For a moment, Finn imagined another life, where Rey was not a lowly scavenger from the undercity of Theed, but a Jedi Knight, guardian of peace throughout the galaxy. He chuckled. The Jedi were long gone, as was the Old Republic.

“What’s this? It’s so heavy!” Rose was now holding Rey’s staff in her hands. It was the weapon Rey used the most, and she even preferred it to a blaster. Finn could understand: she’d had it for as long as he could remember.

“That’s… a staff. Rey’s staff,” replied Finn, puzzled. “Why?”

“It’s dirty. Do you have a cloth, or something?”

“Wait, why are you so interested in that staff all of a sudden?” Finn asked.

Rose sighed. “Can I ask how you ended up with this? The lightsaber, the staff, everything?”

“I don’t know-- Maz was a pirate before she ended up here. Wait-- don’t have her arrested, okay? She isn’t a pirate anymore.”

“I won’t, I won’t! Finn, please, focus.” Rose pleaded. “I need to know.”

“I don’t know for the lightsaber, or the vibrosword, or anything else. You’ll have to ask Maz. For the staff… it belongs to Rey. When she was abandoned, she had it with her. She told me she had to protect it, or something. She doesn’t even know why!”

Rose closed her eyes, in deep thought. “Don’t… be afraid, all right? It’s… it’s just that it looks a lot like Emperor Palpatine’s staff.”

Finn stared at Rose, his mouth agape. “Okay, you know what? I was dealing with this whole madness pretty well until now. Rey slipping into the palace? Fine. It was my plan anyway. Running around from assassins and bounty hunters with the Queen of Naboo? Sure. Protecting you from getting murdered on your wedding night? No problem. Seriously, what’s next? Rey’s the heiress to the Empire?”

“Finn, please… I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I need to be sure.”

Finn sighed, looking at the ceiling and handling Rose a cloth. She sat down, rubbing the staff vigorously. She then brandished it towards the light.

It was gold.

Rose let the staff fall on the ground, as if it had suddenly turned into a snake. Finn felt like he was suffocating, and without a glance behind, he headed outside, Rose following suit.

For minutes that felt like hours, they remained silent. Rose finally broke the silence with a sob.

“I’m-- I’m sorry, Finn. I’m sure there’s an explanation to all of this, there must be…”

“No!” shouted Finn. “It all makes sense! There-- there was a droid. It said it was programmed for Rey, and only Rey…”

In an impulse, Rose forgot she was Kusumina, Queen of Naboo, and ran to Finn, hugging him tightly.

At the same time, a thousand lights added themselves to the stars of the sky, calling the Queen home.

Whether it was Rose or Rey, only the Force would tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rey's dress for the Festival of Light can be seen [right here](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/little_vienna/24807051/68341/68341_original.jpg)! Yes, for the musical theatre nerds, that's Christy Altomare in the picture. I took inspiration from Anastasia's dress for the ballet, since Rey's plot in this fic is basically Ever After meets Anastasia.


	6. Chapter 6

“What do you want, Lord Ren? Or should I say  _ Prince Ben _ ?” 

Lord Ren’s -  _ Ben’s _ \- reaction was immediate: he slammed his hand on Rey’s mouth, pushing her out of sight in a corner of the corridor. BB-8 attempted to zap him, but he kicked the droid away. Rey tried to slip away, but she found herself forced to stay still. 

“Don’t ever say that name again,” he seethed. “Don’t you understand? It’s a matter of life or death. For me, for you, and for Mo--” He took a deep breath, but it was shaky. “And for Queen Leia.” 

Rey grabbed Ren’s wrist, shoving his arm away. “You’re forgetting someone. Your fiancée, perhaps? Oh, of course, you don’t care. You don’t care to the point that you’re plotting to have her killed.” 

“Stop it,” Ren hissed. 

“Oh, you think you can scare me?” Rey snapped back. “You’re wrong. I’ve never been afraid of anyone. You won’t be the first one to try.” 

“Really?” He came a few steps closer to her, his face only a few centimeters from hers. Rey found herself holding her breath. BB-8 rolled in close again, ready to attack, but Rey held him back with a pleading glance, begging him to wait.

“There are two options, then,  _ Lady Rey _ . Either you’re a spoiled child who knows nothing of life, or… you’re an impostor.” 

He tilted his head. “And for one thing, I know it can’t be the first option.” 

Rey held her breath. For the first time, despite her previous confidence, she was frightened. 

“You thought I hadn’t guessed?” Ren chuckled humorlessly. “I’m not that much of an idiot.” 

“So what are you going to do next?” Rey finally managed to reply. “Tell everyone that I’m an imposter?  _ Your mother  _ will defend me. And I’ll tell everyone you and the First Order want to murder the Queen.” 

Kylo Ren’s scowl drained away. Rey couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction. That bastard  _ deserved  _ to be frightened. 

“Rey, you-- you have no idea what you’re getting into. Stay out of this. You have no idea what really happened.” 

“Oh, do I? Your mother thinks the same as me.” 

“ _ What? _ ” He stared at her in disbelief. His lower lip trembled like a child’s, and Rey was left more confused than ever. 

“Rey, please, you need to listen to me--” Rey shook her head, turning away, but Ren caught her arm. “I’m the one who warned the Queen that she was going to be murdered, I’m the one who permitted her to escape, I distracted the guards, please, Rey, you need to believe me, you need to tell my mother, I need your help, and you’re in trouble, too--” 

Rey had heard enough. She ripped her arm from Ren’s grasp, grabbing her skirts and running away towards Leia’s apartments. She refused to hear Ren begging her to come back, while BB-8 followed suit. 

She didn’t have time to go very far: the man in black and gold she had seen earlier on the balcony was in front of her in a split second, as if he had materialized out of thin air. He smirked, and Rey couldn’t help but take a few steps back from him. Something - or rather, someone - bumped against her, wrapping a protective arm around her. 

If it had been anyone else, Rey would have perhaps been grateful. But it was Kylo Ren.  _ Again.  _

“Chivalry won’t be necessary, Lord Ren,” said the man, and his voice was dripping with such malice Rey couldn’t help but shiver. Ren’s arm only tightened in response, and for once, Rey was almost thankful. 

“Who are you?” Rey whispered, surprised of her own bravery. The man chuckled in amusement. 

“King Prana,” Ren muttered behind her. “The First Order’s Supreme Leader.” 

“Thank you for the information, Ren,” King Prana replied. “This young lady truly needs to catch up on the galaxy’s political situation.” 

“I’d have more time to do so if you let me go,” Rey replied, defiant. 

“But of course, milady,” King Prana replied, but his voice was far too kind to be sincere. “But allow me to say you have a very interesting droid.” 

A hiss caught Rey’s attention, and she turned her head to the left, where the sound had come from. In Ren’s hand, a red lightsaber had ignited. 

King Prana let out a laugh. “This is not the place, not the right time, Lord Ren. Would you seriously consider making an attempt on my life? Even after the guards find General Hux’s body in a fountain?” 

In a flash, Ren let go of Rey, and went running across the corridor, Prana following suit. Rey was left alone with BB-8. 

The journey back to Leia’s apartments, this time, was met with no interruptions: at this point, considering the hectic day she had just been through, it was a miracle. 

Leia was waiting for her, her face lined with worry as Rey burst into her apartments. It was unnecessary for her to explain anything: without a word, Leia hugged the younger girl tightly, while Rey buried her face in Leia’s shoulder. 

“Is there anything I can do, Rey?” Leia asked softly. 

Rey nodded. “I want to go home.” 

Leia didn’t have time to reply. There was a loud knock on the other side of the door, accompanied by someone shouting. 

“Oh no,” Leia whispered, pushing Rey away from her as gently as she could. “Go to the room on the right, Rey, with Evaan, Korrie and Poe, and stay there - I don’t want them to find you. You’ll have to go back to the undercity with Evaan, she’ll have business there. And don’t worry for me, all right?” She smiled at Rey one last time, and turned away. 

Without further ado, Rey did as Leia had asked her, running to the room Leia had indicated and closing the door behind her. The three people in the room jumped as she entered - Evaan Verlaine, a girl with dark skin around Rey’s age who was probably Korrie, and a man with short curled hair wearing the New Republic pilots’ uniform. They glanced at Rey in worry, their eyes questioning, but she wasn’t forced to give an explanation: people had erupted into the apartment. 

The four of them hiding in the room were careful not to make any noise, to make the intruders believe that Queen Leia was alone and that her suite was keeping themselves busy with the Festival of Light. They stuck their ear at the door, attempting to hear what was going on on the other side. 

“What is the meaning of this?” Leia snapped. “I’m the Queen of Alderaan! Our relations with Naboo have been nothing but--” 

“The matter has nothing to do with Naboo, Your Majesty, at least not directly. You are charged with high treason against the New Republic and complicity in murder.” 

“How dare you? I--” 

“You have the right to remain silent. As the Queen is absent, and since offense has been made against the First Order, you will have to defend yourself in front of its leader, King Prana.” 

“ _ This is _ high treason! You’ve all been sold yourselves to the First Order-- all of you!” 

“We need to go,” Evaan whispered, her voice shaking. “Now. They’ll search the apartment any minute. Poe, the Queen has told you everything we needed to know about the secret passages from here to outside the palace, right?” 

Poe - the pilot - nodded. Evaan picked up a pile of beige clothes on a table near her. 

 

“Follow us,” she told Rey. “The clothes are for you-- you’ll change during the escape so you can go in the undercity unseen. Let’s move!” 

Rey heard the distinctive sound of Naboo guards’ boots on the other side of the wall. As they and the First Order soldiers burst into the room, they just had enough time to slip through a door hidden in the wall and shut it behind them. 

* * *

 

 

Leia offered no resistance as the guards led her towards King Prana’s apartments. It would be of no use, anyway. Until Evaan could reach Maz and send reinforcements, all she could do was wait. 

She hated waiting and not being in control of the situation for a few hours. The last time such a thing had happened was when she was about to be executed on the first Death Star, and even then, the first thing she had done once rescued was to take the lead in her own rescue party. 

Then again, said rescue party was composed of Luke, Han, and Chewie.  _ Of course  _ she had to be in charge of all those moon jockeys. 

Her initial anger, however, faded away the minute she entered Prana’s apartments. The first thing she saw was her son, tied down to what looked to be an interrogation chair. His head was down, his hair covering part of his face. 

Leia couldn’t help but remember all those times when he was still a toddler and he’d go running off, hiding from whoever was supposed to take care of him at the time, and getting everyone in the palace in a panic as they believed the crown prince had been kidnapped. It was only when Leia would call him that he would crawl out from whatever corner he was hiding in, his face and hands dirty after all that exploring and his already thick hair concealing his eyes. He’d always laugh in mischief, and Leia, pushing away dark curls from his face, would forget about grounding him for his misbehavior. 

She would discover later that it was always Han who found all sorts of stratagems to help the little rascal run away and find hiding places: the sight of the whole palace in a panic never failed to amuse him. 

But those happier days were long gone. 

Ben kept facing the ground as she entered, but it didn’t take long for Leia to realize that it was all to avoid meeting Prana’s gaze. But there was something strange: she noticed his fists were curled, like he was angry, nervous… or determined. 

Leia kept a level head, but her nemesis’ smug sense of triumph as she was forced to sit down, surrounded by guards, was hard to look at. 

“Family reunion,” said Prana, his smile only widening. “How lovely.” 

He got up and circled the room. “Right now, Your Majesty,” he began, addressing Leia, “all of the palace believes that your son has murdered one of my generals, Armitage Hux. They found his body drowned in a fountain not long after the lanterns were released, and autopsy has confirmed the deed was done just before the opening ceremony. I’ve had some people in my suite act as witnesses, and they were ordered to claim they had seen Kylo Ren strangle General Hux and then left his body in a fountain. One thing I can be sure of is that they know better than to say the truth. I’ve also revealed that some of my intel discovered Lord Ren had been in contact with you, and that you were plotting against the First Order - of course, I didn’t think you’d act so quickly, and I wanted to give a respectable war hero and an old friend the benefit of the doubt--” 

“You think the New Republic will buy all of this?” Leia spat. “As you said, I’m a war hero. I’m the Queen of Alderaan and its ten thousand surviving subjects. I’ve fought for peace ever since I was capable of it. You dare to insinuate that I would wage war against you? And what motive would I have?” 

“You’ve just given me all your motives on a silver platter, Your Majesty,” Prana replied, mocking. “The destruction of Alderaan is but one thing that can be used against you. Wouldn’t it justify an irrational hatred not only for the Empire, but whatever slightly resembles it, from a certain point of view? But that’s not the only thing. I know one secret that only you and the people closest to you know about.” 

Leia’s eyes widened, and she turned towards Ben in fury. “You  _ told _ him?” 

Ben kept facing the ground. Prana chuckled. “Oh, believe me, Leia, your little boy loves you far too much to betray you like this. Haven’t you ever wondered how he came to know that Darth Vader was his grandfather? I told him.” 

This time, Leia was left speechless. 

“I-- I don’t understand. I never understood how... no one could have known. I’ve even made sure it wasn’t hidden in the Archives. All the records said that Anakin Skywalker had died during Order 66. That Darth Vader was a whole other creature.” 

“I’d recognize the scent of the Chosen One anywhere, Leia.” 

Leia couldn’t hold back a shiver at Prana’s words. She glared at him. “Who are you?” 

Prana’s features became twisted, and for a moment, it was hard to believe he was human. “Darth Vader might have destroyed the Sith, Leia, but the Dark Side has not died. It never has, and it never will. The death of the Dark Side… would be the death of the Force itself, and the end of the universe.” 

He started circling both his prisoners, like a predator with its prey. “The Sith weren’t the only Dark Siders. There are many other tribes out there, in the Unknown Regions, and many worshippers as well. King Prana was one of them. What a fool he was. He would’ve never believed he’d become a vessel for someone far greater than he was.” 

He stopped in his tracks, staring straight at Leia. “I’ve lived for more than a thousand years, trapped in the emptiness of space, waiting for the right time to return, always thirsty… and I still am. The imbecile who granted me his body was just barely able to lift a pebble. But I had to wait. There would be no Sith in my path, and the grandson of the Chosen One was still a child, so full of life, so strong with the Force…” 

He got closer to Ben, sniffing the air as if he was smelling something very sweet. His finger touched Ben’s cheek, his gaze glimmering with hunger. 

Leia saw Ben’s fists roll, as he trembled in fear: he always behaved as such as a kid whenever he was scared out of his mind. 

This was too much. 

Leia got up, and attempted to run towards Prana, or whoever he was, with a roar.. “Stay the hell away from my son, you-- you  _ MONSTER _ !”  She was stopped by the guards, who forced her to sit down again, but not without a good fight on her part.

The being cackled. “My worshippers refer to me as Snoke,” he corrected her. “I wish they had been a bit more creative. Supreme Leader Snoke sounds like something your husband would yell as an insult in a cantina.” 

Snoke headed back to his chair, sitting in it nonchalantly. “I must say, you made it all so easy, Leia. The most difficult part for me was to ensure Prana would be elected as king of Onderon after all the mess the Empire left during its fall. It was so simple to befriend you, visit you, get close to your little rascal, and I even took some of my precious time to see him whenever he and Skywalker were close to wherever I was. Which is more than you’ve ever done during all those years, isn’t it? The child trusted me, and he trusted me again when I told him the truth about his grandfather. Skywalker’s foolish tale wasn’t even enough to stop him from coming to me. It was easy to turn him into Kylo Ren. Ben Organa Solo had been gone for so long, people barely remembered what he looked like. And yet… he still rebelled against me.” 

“That’s because you forgot to mention one thing.” 

Leia jumped in surprise as she heard Ben’s voice for the first time. 

“I didn’t come to you immediately,” Ben continued. “I went rogue for a few months. And in the meantime, I found answers.” 

He lifted up his head, staring at Snoke in the eye. “My grandfather wouldn’t have wanted for me to join you and rebuild the Empire. He died saving my uncle, saving everyone by killing the Emperor, and he accomplished his destiny. In my family, we all must. The Jedi weren’t enough to destroy the Sith. They were weak and trapped in their doctrine, and that’s something Uncle Luke never understood, despite everything he saw with his own eyes. That’s why I came to you. To learn how to master the Dark Side.” He lowered his gaze. “It was a mistake.” 

Snoke laughed. “So what will you do now, you fool?” 

There was heavy silence before Ben spoke again. “I’ll die, just like my grandfather did. And I’ll drag you with me. If this is what my grandfather started and that I must finish, then so be it.” 

“You think it will be that easy?” Snoke mocked him. “I can easily frame you and your mother to appear as power hungry as Vader was. I could claim that you want to establish an Empire of your own, have you both killed. I don’t need you any more, Son of Skywalker. I’ve got an even better card to play. The heir to the Empire herself.” 

A flash of panic ran across Ben’s eyes. But he succeeded in staying calm. “You have no proof.” 

 

“I know everything I need to know in order to prove her lineage. She was left with the Emperor’s sceptre. Leoticus Palpatine and his wife had programmed a BB unit who would only obey to her orders, and whose description is exactly like the one who was accompanying her. They told me all about it. They then realized I was up to no good. They hid their daughter where they thought I would never find her, and I killed them. All that is left to do is to find her and--” 

Snoke couldn’t finish his sentence. Ben had roared, his rage echoing through the Force and freeing him from his restraints. He didn’t have time to attack. With a single gesture from Snoke, he was frozen, unable to move, while unbearable pain gripped his mind. He held himself from screaming. 

“I won’t-- let you-- harm her,” Ben managed to utter through the agony. 

Snoke chuckled. “If you had been more reasonable, I would have perhaps had both of you married. Force-sensitive children are always useful. But it appears you have too much compassion to live.” 

He got closer to Ben, until his face was only a few centimeters from his. “You poor little prince... no one can save you now.” 

 

* * *

 

Rey, with BB-8 by her side, was Evaan, Korrie and Poe’s guide in the undercity, leading them towards Maz’s cantina. Running ahead of the group, Rey entered by the back door, rushing into the basement where she knew Finn would be. 

The minute she saw him, she ran towards him, hugging him tightly. She heard him chuckle as he patted her on the back. She couldn’t help but smile as well.

Finn was still there, with her. Everything would be alright.

“Glad to see you made it here safe,” said Finn. “Is everything alright? I know things didn’t go according to plan, and--”

“No. They didn’t.” Rey was about to tell Finn that with all the events that had happened during the day, she hadn’t been able to retrieve the krayt dragon pearls from Plutt… but now, after everything, it seemed so very insignificant.

Finn nodded, his mouth twitching. “It’s-- it’s fine. I got caught up in other things as well. Oh, and by the way, guess who’s with me?” Finn moved away from their hug, permitting Rey to see a petite girl with jet black hair and a wide, dimpled smile. “Her Majesty the Queen,” he said with a grin.

“You can call me Rose, too,” said the Queen. “‘Your Majesty’ is a mouthful.”

Finn turned towards Rose, pretending to be offended. “I thought that was an exclusive privilege?”

Rose titled her head. “I’m the Queen, so I do whatever I want. Now, if you will excuse me, now that Lady Verlaine, Miss Sella and Captain Dameron are here, we’ll be able to proceed with assembling allies.”

Finn cleared his throat, his previous light mood gone. “Should-- should I tell Rey?”

Rose’s smile faded as well, as she glanced towards Rey. She shook her head. “I think it’s absolutely necessary.”

“What? What is it? Is there something I don’t know?” asked Rey.

On a sign from the Queen, everyone else headed upstairs, joining Maz in the lounge, leaving Rey and Finn alone.

Finn took Rey’s hands in his, biting his lips in anxiety, at a loss for words.

“What’s wrong? Finn, you’re worrying me. Wait… is it about you and Rose? I mean the Queen?”

“What? Me and the Queen? No, no! I mean, I don’t stand a chance…”

“Oh,” beamed Rey. “So you do like her.”

“Rey, this is not--”

“But you looked really cute together!”

“Rey, this is important! It’s about your parents!”

At the word “parents”, Rey immediately froze.

“Rey… do you remember how you got your staff? And why you had to keep it?”

She frowned, and shook her head. “I-- I just know my parents asked me to keep it, and that I was never to part from it. They were very clear about that.”

“And what else? Do you remember how they looked? Who they were?”

Rey frowned. “Finn, we’ve already been through this. I can’t remember. I don’t know why, but I can’t. All I remember is that I had to keep my staff, and that they said they would come back for me. And see? BB-8 is here. I’m sure it means something, doesn’t it?”

Finn closed his eyes, and winced as if he was holding back tears. For a moment, Rey forgot to breathe.

“Rey… the staff… it’s actually a sceptre.” 

“A sceptre? Like for a king or a queen?”

“Or an Emperor. Or even an Empress.”

Rey cast Finn a puzzled look. “So?”

He squeezed her hands. “You don’t get it? Your parents didn’t want you to lose the sceptre because it’s Palpatine’s sceptre! Rose recognized it! She’s absolutely certain she isn’t wrong! And BB-8? I’m sure he was programmed to find you.”

Meanwhile, the droid was looking left and right, glancing for one second at Finn, and the other at Rey.

“We need to destroy it,” Finn said. “It could be a spy.”

BB-8 took out his welding torch, beeping angrily.

“He says that he was programmed to protect me, and nothing else!” Rey pleaded. “He also said that he was captured and put to sleep. He doesn’t know by whom, for how long, or why he was awakened. And anyway,” she added, staring at Finn, “I don’t believe you.”

BB-8 beeped again. “You have something to show me?” said Rey. “Why didn’t you mention that earlier? Your programming forces you to only mention it at the right time? That’s stupid. Oh, don’t stare at me like that. And don’t start purring, either. It won’t work this time.”

Regardless, BB-8 turned around, projecting a holo of a man and a woman, the first dressed in an Imperial uniform, the second in battle dress, her hair styled in three buns like Rey’s. Finn had seen pictures of Emperor Palpatine during his younger days far too many times to deny that there was a shocking resemblance between the man in the holo projection and Palpatine. Whether it was him, or his son - Rey’s father - Finn couldn’t tell. The woman, on the other hand, made the matter clearer: her resemblance with Rey was undeniable.

When Finn turned to Rey, she looked as if she had seen a ghost. As he got a closer look, he realized her pupils were moving wildly, as if she was seeing too many pictures at once.

“Hey, Rey, Rey! Calm down!” Finn grabbed Rey by the shoulders, shaking her. She stared at him in terror. “Hey, it’s okay! It’s over! Everything will be fine, okay?”

But Rey didn’t hear him: instead, pictures of another life, a long time ago, were rushing into her mind. A male voice calling her his little princess, promising her the galaxy and the biggest garden, a female voice singing her to sleep, a double-edged vibrosword being swung around by a woman with long tresses, with a promise that she’d learn to fight with it too, one day…

“I remember!” shouted Rey. “I remember everything! My parents... and King Prana… I’ve seen him before. I can’t tell when, and…” 

“Alright, looks like we got another part of the puzzle,” Finn said, patting Rey on the back. “So… do you want me to stay with you? Do you want to be left alone?” 

Rey’s mouth twisted. “I-- I don’t know… Do-- do you think my parents are dead, Finn?” 

Finn found himself unable to answer. Either way, he’d have to give Rey an unsavory truth: her parents were probably not quite as nice to everybody…  

All he could do was to shrug, with a sympathetic smile. “I don’t know, Rey. But whatever happened… I don’t want you to end up on the opposite side of this. You’ve seen what the Empire has left behind it. I can’t imagine how it was thirty years ago.” 

Rey didn’t reply, and turned away from Finn. He winced, carefully choosing his words. 

“I mean, why did they abandon you in the first place? Why did you get your memory wiped?” 

“I know,” said a voice behind them. Rey and Finn turned around, and saw Maz Kanata going down the stairs towards them. 

“You knew all along?” cried Rey, running towards Maz. “You never bothered telling me?” 

“What use would it’ve been?” replied Maz, shrugging. “If you’ve stayed with them, you wouldn’t be the same person you are today. They erased your memory so you wouldn’t know anything if their enemies ever found you.” 

Rey grabbed Maz. “What happened to them? Do you know?” 

Maz shook her head. “Your father was the Emperor’s greatest secret. He escaped the great purge following the Empire’s fall and followed its remnants in the Unknown Regions. That’s how the First Order was born, long before systems left the New Republic to join it.” 

“But King Prana is the First Order’s leader--” Rey didn’t finish her sentence: the truth quickly came to her. “They never came back because-- they were killed… by Prana.” She closed her eyes, holding back tears of sadness and of rage. 

“Rey… don’t do anything you’ll regret later.” Maz warned. 

Rey shook her head. “No. The First Order needs to be stopped. They’ve done enough harm.” 

“We’ll need all the help we can get,” said a voice coming from the stairs. It was Rose. “I’ve got help from the inside as well. Lord Ren was the one who warned me about the murder plot.” She sighed. “You can get help from the most unexpected places…” 

Rey stared wildly at Rose. “Are you okay, Rey?” Finn asked in concern. 

“No,” she muttered. “Repeat what you’ve just said?” 

Rose lifted a brow, puzzled. “I-- I just said Lord Ren was the one who told me about the murder plot. He distracted the guards, too. That permitted me to escape.” 

“Yes… that’s what he told me… and I didn’t believe him.” 

“Okay, I think I missed a part,” said Finn. “What happened while you were at the palace? Did you meet him or something?” 

Rey nodded, this time unable to hold back tears. “I did. And now he’s in trouble… and it’s all my fault.” 


	7. Chapter 7

Maz’s cantina had closed down for the time being. In the meantime, there was a reunion, where people of many different species and social status assembled for a common goal: to restore the Queen of Naboo at her rightful place, and rescue Leia.

There was no mention of Kylo. And the more time passed by, the more anxious Rey became.

Meanwhile, Finn was fitting in well. For the infiltration plan, he provided useful insight about breaking into buildings and slicing security systems. Despite all her worries and her guilt, Rey couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Finn. Perhaps this would finally be his chance to prove his worth, and be the hero he was always meant to be.

People around Rey started getting up, heading out of the cantina, towards whatever business they would have to attend in the upcoming mission. She got up as well, running towards Finn and Rose.

“I want to help. No one mentioned anything about Ben-- I mean, Lord Ren.” Rey shook her head, trying to forget about her slip, which was gnawing at her mind for some unknown reason. “I know you already have a lot on your hands, so… I can take care of him. I’ll go and rescue him. I can slip in the palace alone and--”

Rose and Finn glanced at each other. “We… understand you want to help, Rey,” Rose replied gently. “But considering the circumstances, it would be better if you stayed behind.”

“ _What?_ ”

“Rose is right,” added Finn. “With what we’ve just discovered about you, King Prana will want to get his claws on you. And if the news come out about who you are--”

“I don’t care! I’m not going to stay here and do nothing!”

“Rey, I’m sorry,” said Finn with a sympathetic smile. “It’s for the best. And I-- we want you to be safe.”

“Oh, it’s a _we,_ now?”

Rose blushed, staring at the ground. “Rey! This is not the moment!” Finn said, his voice a pitch higher.

Rey crossed her arms, glaring at Finn.

“You might tell me to stay behind, but I won’t,” Rey said.

“Rey, please…” Finn pleaded. “Don’t come with us.”

Rey scrunched her mouth, turning away. “Fine.”

 

* * *

 

Rey didn’t know for how long everyone had left the cantina. The only people left were her, of course, BB-8, beeping in concern near her, and Maz, who busied herself by cleaning the tables. Rey was sitting on one of them, her chin resting on her knees. In other circumstances, Maz would have grounded her for doing so, but this time, she probably felt indulgent enough not to.

She eventually came in front of Rey, staring at her.

“So you’re just going to stay there and do nothing, mm?”

Rey raised her eyebrows. “No, of course not! I want to help. I just don’t know how.”

Maz rolled her eyes and left the room, leaving Rey and BB-8 alone. The little droid gently purred, in an attempt to cheer Rey up. Her lips twitched upwards, but she didn’t have the heart to smile.

Maz came back in again, carrying Rey’s staff and the lightsaber in her arms.

“You’ll need these,” she said as she entered the room.

Rey’s eyes widened in surprise. “For what?”

“To rescue your prince in distress, of course! What else? You’re the last person in the galaxy who’d just stand there like some damsel. Now, shoo! Get up! We don’t have all night, and I need to give you some instructions before you run off.”

“B--but how will I do that?”

“By the ghosts of Dathomir, you’re a scavenger! And you know how to get into the palace unseen? You got a staff! And the lightsaber! Take them! Come on!”

She smiled. “Remember what I’ve taught you all those years, child. I’m no Jedi, but I know the Force. Remember how I made you meditate? When you’ll arrive in the palace, do the same. The Force will guide you to where you have to be.”

Rey picked her staff and the lightsaber from Maz’s hands, and nodded in determination. “I’ll do it,” she replied.

Maz grinned, pinching Rey’s cheek. “I know you will. BB-8 will stay here with me. It’ll be easier for you. Tut tut!” Maz added when the little droid protested. “I need a bodyguard in case First Order agents come and ask me questions.”

“It’s better this way, BB-8,” agreed Rey. “You’ve done a great job protecting me at the palace, after all.” She winked, and grinned as BB-8 beeped in agreement.

“Before I go, Maz… whose lightsaber is this? And how did you get it?”

Maz sighed. “How I got it is a long story… but I can tell you whose lightsaber this is. It has belonged to the Skywalker family for many generations, before it was lost, once by Luke Skywalker, and the other when I was to guard it. When the time comes, it will go back to Ben. But for now, it is yours to wield.”

She tapped Rey on the shoulder. “Now quit staring, child, and go! You’ve got a prince to rescue!”

Rey didn’t need for Maz to say it twice. Without another word, she rushed out of the cantina.

 

* * *

 

When Rey arrived at the palace, the first place she decided to search was the lower level: more particularly, the prison sector.

It wasn’t too hard for her to find it, and Rey was so used to going around unseen and hiding in dark corners that escaping the guards’ notice was a small feat for her.

What would be more difficult, however, would be finding Kylo’s cell.

Finding refuge in yet another dark corner where no one would find her, at least for a few minutes, Rey put the advice Maz had given her earlier into practice. She sat on the ground, crossing her legs together, and took a few deep breaths, exploring her surroundings through the Force, searching for something that would be unmistakably Kylo.

Was it still right to call him Kylo Ren? Rey wasn’t so sure, anymore. She recalled how Leia always called him Ben, as if he was still a little boy running around in the royal palace of Alderaan. He was probably already insufferable. Rey suppressed a laugh and scolded herself: she needed to focus on a Force signature. _Ben_ ’s Force signature.

At first contact with the Force, she gasped. Even if she couldn’t see anyone, she could sense them all through the Force, hear them breathe, hear their heartbeat… but there was one, among them all, vibrant with power, sounding very similar to a feline growling. As she focused on it, she sensed the person’s pain, fright and heartbreak. And, beneath it all, there was something that made it all even worse: resignation.

Without further ado, Rey got on her feet, and followed the purr as it became louder, bringing her closer to Ben.

She knew she had arrived at the right place as she came face to face with a cell closed by a force field rather than a heavy door. Two guards were standing side by side outside it, their black garb making them look somewhat more intimidating than the Naboo guards Rey would come across every day.

Rey prepared herself to attack, hesitating for a split second then reaching for her staff. She expected the guards to do the same. To her great surprise, as she grabbed her staff, the two guards lowered their heads, setting one knee on the ground.

She didn’t have time to react: the guards’ bodies were lifted up from the ground, to be smashed on the wall and fall, rendered unconscious by the crash.

“Your lightsaber! Quick! It can break through the forcefield!” Rey recognized Ben’s voice. Without further ado, she ignited her lightsaber, smashing it through the forcefield until it disappeared.

As she entered the cell, the corners of his mouth twitched up, his eyes lighting up.

“You came back,” he whispered, his voice uneven.

“Of course I did,” Rey replied, her throat tightening. “And I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

Two arms were encircling her. She turned off the lightsaber, hugging Ben as well.

“Don’t blame yourself, Rey,” said Ben. “You had no reason to believe me.” He chuckled bitterly. “Even my mother thought I was going to murder the Queen.”

“Your mother loves you,” replied Rey, and as she drew away from their embrace, she found herself removing a few strands of hair from his face, not realizing her gesture. “She misses you, too.”

He took her hand in his, setting a knee on the ground and kissing the back and the palm. Rey was reminded of the valiant warriors from the tales of old she’d hear as a little girl: almighty and powerful in battle, but undone in front of the fearless ladies they’d fall in love with.

Rey kneeled as well, her face at Ben’s level. There was an intensity in his gaze she wasn’t quite able to identify, and she didn’t notice how ridiculously close they were to each other. For a split second, he appeared as if he was about to tell her something, but Rey managed to snap out of their daydream.

“We need to go,” she muttered. “The guards could wake up any minute. They’ll call for reinforcements.”

Ben looked slightly disappointed, but he nodded. “You better leave,” he replied. “Snoke knows who you are. He wants to use you. I can’t risk him getting his claws on you.”

“And leave you on your own?” Rey sighed in exasperation. “And anyway, who’s Snoke?”

“King Prana. Well, Snoke is his true identity-- the real King Prana died a long time ago. I don’t know who Snoke really is, or what he is. All I know is that he’s some sort of being who… feeds on Force-sensitive people, I guess.  Anyway, I don’t feel like learning more. I need to deal with Snoke, by myself. You go and run back to safety.”

“I won’t!” Rey interjected. “First thing that’ll happen once I leave you is you doing something stupid. I can defend myself. We need to go and rescue your mother together.

“Hey, I’m not that stupid!” Ben snapped back. “Oh, and don’t roll your eyes like that.” He smirked, his eyes gleaming like a little boy who was just about to play a trick. “You’re irresistible when you do that.”

“Do shut up!” Rey sniped, but to her great embarrassment, she felt her cheeks heating up. “Here, take the lightsaber. I trust you can fight with it. And I got told it was yours, apparently.”

Ben’s face became solemn as he picked the lightsaber from Rey’s hands. “It is… it was my grandfather’s. How-- where did you find it?”

“Long story,” Rey replied. “We’ve chatted enough. We need to go, now. Do you know where they might be keeping Leia?”

Ben remained pensive for a moment. “I don’t sense her presence in the prison sector, and neither in the lower levels. She might still be in the upper levels. Snoke probably wouldn’t leave her out of his sight. And I think I might know where they could be.”

 

* * *

 

Their destination was the throne room. Rey could only hope Ben’s intuition was a good one, and that reinforcements from the Queen’s troops would come to their aid.  

When they arrived in front of the great doors of the throne room, they were surprised to see that there were no guards. They cast a worried glance at each other, unsure what to expect on the other side of the door, despite sensing only Snoke and Leia’s presences.

“Let’s go,” whispered Rey, sliding her hand in Ben’s. She felt him jump in surprise at first, but then he squeezed hers, nodding with determination.

Signaling each other with a quick glance, they rammed into the door, slamming it open, finding themselves face to face with Snoke.

Leia was still strapped to an interrogation chair, unconscious. Surprisingly, there were no guards around, but it was easy to assume that Snoke trusted no one else but himself to watch over her.

Snoke was sitting on the Queen’s throne, his smug features clearly showing he considered the game already won. He didn’t move as Rey and Ben entered the room, brandishing their weapons in what looked like a pointless attempt to look intimidating in front of an unfazed Snoke.

“You both came,” Snoke chuckled. “Just as I expected.”

Rey noticed Ben freezing. His gaze was locked on his his mother’s unconscious form, when he needed to focus on the task at hand - defeating Snoke.

She remembered what she had always done when she and Finn were still children,whenever he was frightened of the undercity’s darkest corners. She felt Ben stiffen, but she didn’t have time to remove her hand: he squeezed it instead.

“You fools believe that you can defeat me?” Snoke continued. “A single gesture from me, and your weapons are taken away from you. What will be left? Your fists?” He glanced at Rey and Ben’s intertwined hands, a sly smile appearing on his lips. “ _The power of love?_ ”

Rey felt her cheeks heat up, and she ripped her hand away from Ben’s. She knew she was  blushing-- and she _hated_ blushing. Glancing quickly towards Ben, she noticed that he was beet red as well, and she could see the tip of his ears poking from his hair, pinker than usual.

“I could find a use for both of you,” Snoke mused. “Let’s forget about the Queen of Naboo. Perhaps host a grand marriage between one of my greatest warriors and the heiress to the Empire-- a story for the ages. Children will come, Force-sensitive, of course. What use would I have for those who wouldn’t be? And living on will be the least of my worries--”

“Keep Rey out of this,” Ben hissed, pushing her away while shielding her. Rey huffed in annoyance, removing Ben’s arm and moving forward. He nevertheless insisted, squeezing her shoulder. This time, Rey couldn’t ignore the gesture’s tenderness, and it was even hard for her not to smile.

“She looks like a feisty one,” Snoke replied. “Just like her mother.”

Rey clenched her jaw, memories of a long-lost life coming back to her, obscuring her mind, anger gnawing and growling at her like a beast in a cage.

“Your father was the calmer one of the two,” Snoke continued, his fingernail absent-mindedly carving on one of the throne’s elaborate motifs. “A lot like his own father, the Emperor. Knowing how to hide in the shadows, and how to strike at the best moment, and right at the time where it would hurt the most and bring him more. Darth Sidious taught him well. Your mother was one of the Hapans - distant cousins to the Nightsisters, but both powerful sorceresses. You could say she bewitched your father the minute he saw her for the first time. And then you were born… I must say, I do wonder how they managed to hide you so well. Killing them was so easy--”

He was interrupted by Rey, letting out what sounded like a roar, but also a cry of pain, as she charged towards him. Ben was unable to hold her back. But Snoke lifted his hand, and Rey found herself suddenly unable to move, a mysterious force crippling her.

“Why, I was right. You really are your parents’ little monster. A Jedi wouldn’t approve.”

As he finished speaking, Rey was released from his hold. Her head was ringing with Snoke’s words. _Monster_. She shook her head.

“I’m no monster. And if a Jedi doesn’t approve, well, it’s bantha poodoo. I’ll kill you, and I’ll drag your corpse through Theed for everyone to see. Both for what you did to my family, and for Ben’s.”

“Aren’t you sweet,” Snoke mocked her. “But let’s make this all easier, shall we? It’s quite simple. If both of you surrender without any complaining, I will let Queen Leia go. If not… I’ll terminate her. I have full control of the interrogation chair, so think twice.”

Rey heard a thud behind her. She turned around, and to her great horror, she saw Ben kneeling, his lightsaber lying a few centimeters from him, discarded.

“I surrender,” he muttered. “But let Rey and my mother go. That’s all I ask. From now on, do what you want of me. Feed on me, take my body if you want-- but don’t hurt them.”

Snoke gave an amused hiss between his teeth. “Look at you, making the big selfless sacrifice! You’ve always been too compassionate for your own good. But I prefer having a first _and_ a main course.”

“No!” Rey interjected. “It can’t end like this. I won’t let it.”

“So what will you do, _scavenger_?” Snoke sneered.

Rey closed her eyes, frowning in deep thought. When she opened them again, she stared right at Snoke, his malicious gaze this time failing to intimidate her. “If I am to become your slave, I want it to happen fair and square. I challenge you to a duel. If I win, I get to leave with Ben and Leia. If I lose, you may do whatever you wish with us.”

Snoke howled in laughter, the echo hurting Rey’s ears, but only strengthening her resolve.

“You think you stand a chance against me, little girl?”

“I won’t become your slave without a fight,” Rey replied, her words sounding suddenly very hollow as they bounced against the walls of the throne room. She meant every word of what she had just said - but as much as she had felt brave and invincible a few seconds earlier, against a being she knew next to nothing about, except for his tremendous power and ability to feed on people’s souls, she now felt very small, and doomed to be crushed under his heel.

She tightened her grip around her staff, breathing deeply and summoning the Force to study her surroundings. Perhaps she was no match for someone such as Snoke, but she was a scavenger: and scavengers were well-known for being among the most resourceful. As she concentrated, for the first time, she felt an energy emanating from her staff - something dark, from which she recoiled as she remembered the dangers of the Dark Side. Yet, her instincts guiding her towards it.

Probably yet another remnant of Palpatine’s evils, like the undercity was.

_Like she was._

She snapped out of her meditation, terrified, the but first things that immediately came into focus were Ben and Leia’s presences.

And Ben was growing impatient.

Rey saw him igniting the lightsaber, charging towards Snoke, in a last desperate attempt to protect both Rey and his mother. But he had barely made a few steps forward before, with a swift gesture from Snoke, he was frozen, unable to move. He was now forced to watch the next events unfurl while standing, helpless.

Snoke got up, summoning in his hand a long staff: a Force pike.

She was alone.

The darkness within her staff sang to her, promising her the power she needed if only, for a second, she gave into the Dark Side. Like someone trying not to drown, Rey resisted, leading her thoughts to something, _anything_ , that would pull her away from the thrall.

But the more the seconds flew by, the more Rey wondered if it wasn’t a temptation, but instead something that had been dormant within her for a long time.

Her entire life replayed in her mind.

In a parallel universe, she would have been the heiress to the Empire, as cruel and merciless as her parents and her grandfather had been.

But now, she realized she wouldn’t trade her life for any of it.

Yet, she was the heiress to the Empire, with tremendous power despite the fact she had never experienced it fully.

She had never been nothing. And in front of Snoke, she was a force to reckon with, no matter who she was.

Without further ado, she charged. And yet, she felt at peace.

With all his centuries of experience, Snoke was a formidable duelist. But Rey held her own, as she tried thinking he was just another thug in the undercity she had to fight for food. There were clumsy moves, here and there, and some burns to which she let out a few cries, but she pushed away the pain, always reminding herself that her fate, as well as Ben and Leia’s, depended on her.

After a while, however, she realized she was repeating  the same moves, again and again, and it became clear Snoke was toying with her. There were far too many mistakes on her part, and too many opportunities for Snoke to disarm her. Until then, she had avoided all eye contact with Snoke, but as she glanced his way, his smile, like a krayt dragon with its prey, was chilling.

Snoke had become bored. With a swift move, his staff touched both of Rey’s arms, electrifying them, while she screamed and fell on the ground, letting go of her weapon.

It was done.

He towered over her, his smile triumphant and predatory, making Rey disgusted and furious all at once. He lifted his staff off, preparing to land a blow that wouldn’t kill her, of course, but that would leave her badly wounded for a long time. The first of many, until he’d broken her.

In all her life in the undercity, Rey had never let anything of the sort happen to her.

She needed something that could rid her of Snoke, _for good._

_The lightsaber._

It was still in Ben’s frozen hand, still ignited, and it was just what she needed.

Rey outstretched her arm, praying that she would be strong enough for it to come in her hand, and save her.

In a millisecond she felt it land in her hand. She slashed at Snoke’s chest, stabbing him through the heart.

Snoke screeched, his staff falling on the ground, while Rey got up on her feet, letting the corpse collapse on the ground while she turned off the lightsaber, sighing in relief.

What had been King Prana’s body was crumbling into dust. Dark smoke flew in the air, whispering with malice and fury in her ear, but quickly exiting by the window. And it seemed, all of a sudden, that the sun was a lot brighter outside.

Two strong arms suddenly embraced her, making Rey jump in surprise. She turned around, and a freed Ben was in front of her, his eyes teary but full of immense joy and gratefulness all at once. He grabbed her hands, kissing them, but not quite like he’d do to a lady: Rey couldn’t help but notice his lips were lingering on her skin for far too long.

Her heart was beating faster than usual, and she found herself again distracted by those strands of hair that always seemed to fall over his face. She removed them, her fingers accidentally caressing his forehead, causing her to stop. Ben stared at her, and it was the same intense gaze from when she had freed him from his cell.

Tentative, Rey got on her tip toes, reaching for a hug that seemed awkward at first, but that became a lot more comfortable as Ben leaned down, embracing her as well. She dragged him down, her feet flat on the ground again. He mumbled something, and Rey couldn’t help but laugh.

They pulled back, but not without a certain regret that felt weird and unfamiliar to Rey. Suddenly, Ben got closer again, quickly kissing Rey on the cheek and straightening again, blushing, and looking away, as if he had done something embarrassing.

He could be adorable, when he wasn’t insufferable.

Rey attempted to make eye contact with him, a light smile on her lips. When he glanced at her again, before he could say anything, she grabbed him by the collar, her lips meeting his.

“Are you two going to give me grandchildren any time soon?”

“ _Mom!_ ”


	8. Chapter 8

It didn’t take long before Queen Kusumina’s troops made their way to the throne room, meeting Rey, Ben and Leia. Upon discovering King Prana was dead, along with one of their generals, the First Order troops were in chaos, not knowing who to turn to. 

The Naboo military admitted their complicity with the First Order, even confirming that General Hux’s murder had been staged in order to accuse the Royal Alderaanian family of the deed. Along with the Queen’s escape from certain death, it didn’t take much more to prove the First Order’s ill intentions. 

It left as quickly and as quietly as it could from Naboo, and rumor had it that its members present on Naboo were heading towards the Outer Rim, sending word to their allies as well. What would be their next move was uncertain: but such worries were the Galactic Senate’s business. 

Whether there would be war again or not, or rather, whether the First Order would go out for revenge or be crippled permanently, no one could tell. 

For those who knew who had been truly pulling the strings all those years, they could only hope the organization would fall apart on its own. Snoke had been defeated, but his spirit, while weakened, wasn’t dead, and would find a way to come back. They could only hope it wouldn’t be for a long time. 

It had been a week since the First Order had fled from Naboo. There was still a lot of work to be done, and guards who couldn’t be trusted anymore had to be replaced. There was a pressing need… which meant taking more unorthodox measures. 

It wasn’t every day a scavenger from Theed’s undercity became part of the Queen’s personal guard. But Rey had to admit Finn looked very handsome in his uniform. 

It was a way of rewarding him for saving the Queen’s life. However, Rey wondered if there weren’t more personal interests involved. Finn was the one guard Rose requested at her side at all times. Judging by how they often stood a bit too close to each other at times, or the stolen glances when they thought no one was watching, Rey knew that if a relationship would come to form between them (if it already wasn’t the case), it wouldn’t stay a secret for very long. 

For Finn, Rey only wished the best. And after all those years in misery, he got what he truly deserved. 

As for her… she had no idea what would happen. 

Finn was busy with his new duties. Rey had been granted a room in the palace, but she knew very well it was temporary. While Finn was away, Ben was the only one who kept her company during those solitary days. But there was still something different, almost melancholic about that change: before the events of the last week, Rey had never been separated from Finn, or at least only for a few hours. 

Now, it felt as if he was moving onto a new step in his life: one where she would still be important, but not as a centerpiece anymore. Somehow, it felt like losing her parents again, and without Ben’s presence, it would have been unbearable. 

Ben could be unbearable too: but he was company. Good company. Though he didn’t need to know that. 

They had common interests in tech, though Rey’s knowledge was practical while Ben’s was theoretical. He also loved to go on long rants about anything that would come across them in the walks they’d take together. He’d do it mostly to amaze her, showing off how  _ incredibly intelligent  _ he was. Rey pretended not to be impressed: though deep down, she was an avid learner. 

And - yet another thing he didn’t need to know - he was a good teacher. 

“So who trained you?” Ben asked, one day. Rey stared at him in surprise. 

“What do you mean, trained me?” 

“Your Jedi training. Though I suppose it wasn’t called that.” 

Rey blinked, her mouth half-open. Of course, she had trained with a lightsaber, and had been forced to do boring meditation exercises thanks to Maz. But to think that she had potential as a Jedi… 

“Are you going to contact your uncle again?” asked Rey. “Continue your training?” 

Ben scowled and shrugged. “I’m not going back to him,” he grumbled. “I’ve had enough masters to last me a lifetime. Best way to learn is to keep on searching for old lore. And I’ll try to avoid the ones written by stuffy old masters. Reminds me of one time I fell across a holocron from a Master who thought all Jedi should shave their heads. He said his padawan was far too attached to his. I had to threaten Uncle Luke that I would destroy the holocron if he forced me to shave my hair. Thankfully, I didn’t have to.” 

Rey burst in laughter, while Ben had another one of his crooked grins. She liked them. In those moments, he looked like a little boy. 

“You know,” Ben added, “you have a lot of raw potential. You need a teacher.” 

“Who?” Rey asked, tilting her head. “You?” 

“Of course,” he said, puffing his chest, and Rey rolled her eyes. But Ben twisted his mouth, pouting slightly. “Well, I still have a lot to learn myself.” 

“Good,” Rey replied. “That means I won’t hear you brag all the time about how  _ smart  _ you are.” 

Ben grumbled something, while Rey laughed again, nudging him gently on the shoulder. He then grabbed her hand, locking hers into his. 

“So when do we start?” Rey asked. 

Whatever cheerfulness was on Ben’s face quickly faded away. “I’m-- not supposed to tell you…” 

“What?” Rey interjected. “What’s going on?” 

Ben twisted his mouth, staring at the ground. Rey grew frustrated. If there was one thing she hated, it was being left in the dark. 

“Ben, tell me. I have a right to know.” 

Ben gulped. “They’re-- they’re deciding what to do with you.” 

“What? Who?” 

“The Queen. My mother. And other close advisors. You see… with your lineage… it’s big business. Snoke knew who you were. He could have given that information to other high-ranked people in the First Order. Ill-intentioned people could discover your identity. Not just on the First Order’s side, but the New Republic’s side too. And there are people there who are out for Imperial blood.” 

The world starting spinning around Rey. She could hide, and no one would ever know what had become of her. She could manage on her own. She always did, and high-ranked people deciding of her fate had no power over her. It wasn’t like they could… 

... _ exile her.  _

Rey knew all too well what had happened to Imperial leaders, when they hadn’t been able to run away to the Unknown Regions-- or had been executed. 

“This isn’t fair!” she shouted. “I did nothing wrong. I didn’t choose my family.” 

Ben chuckled mirthlessly. “Obviously.” 

Rey glared at him. “Your parents and your uncle are war heroes. Don’t patronize me.” 

Ben turned away, contemplating Theed unfurling under the balcony where they were standing. “Remember when we were looking at all the Monarchs’ silk portraits? You were wondering why I was staring at Queen Amidala’s.” He took a deep breath. “She was my grandmother.” 

“What?” Rey replied in disbelief. 

“She died the day my mother and my uncle were born. She had fallen in love with a Jedi Knight, Anakin Skywalker. They got married, and they kept it all secret.  Thing is, he wasn’t an ordinary Jedi. His Masters believed he was the Chosen One, and that he was destined to destroy the Sith for good. He died during Order 66. At least, that’s the official story.” 

“But Luke Skywalker destroyed the Sith, right? At least, that’s what the legends say.” 

Ben smiled, but there was no joy. “You’ll learn that legends tend to make the events a lot more pleasant than they truly are. Anakin Skywalker didn’t die during Order 66. He actually led the Clone troopers into the Jedi Temple. He then became known as Darth Vader.” 

Rey’s throat tightened. She found herself at a loss for words. She wanted to comfort Ben, express some sympathy-- but she realized now that it wasn’t her forte. Her pain was something she always pushed back, bottled up, in order to focus on the positive sides of her life when she wasn’t forced to focus on survival. 

“It’s-- it’s not your fault,” Rey attempted. “You’re not responsible for what happened fifty years ago from now--” 

“Well, some people will disagree with you,” Ben cut her. “If the truth came out, like it nearly did if Snoke had got his way, my mother would be forced to abdicate. She’d lose all credibility. They wouldn’t care, even after she devoted her entire life fighting against the Empire and building the New Republic. That’s why I infiltrated the First Order. I didn’t care what happened to me. My mother once said she’d burn down the entire galaxy just to prove that she was right. I guess we’re not that different.” 

Rey moved away, uncomfortable. “Thankfully, I’m not very good at it,” Ben continued, in an attempt to lighten up the mood. “I always end up doing something stupid.” 

“No! You’re not stupid, you’re--” Rey hesitated, unsure if honesty would be the right option. But Ben staring at her encouraged her to continue. “You’re reckless. But you’re like that because you care.” 

A shy smile drew itself on Ben’s lips. At that moment, Rey couldn’t resist hugging him tightly. He responded by patting her back, awkward, as if he still wasn’t use to that kind of contact. But it didn’t take long before he hugged her back, his hold gentle yet firm. 

“I think I have an idea.” 

Rey shot her head up. “What?” 

“I was planning to leave to Corellia once all this would be over. See my father. I haven’t seen him in years. I don’t want to risk anyone trying to hold me back with protocol or Jedi training or whatever they’ll have in store for me, so I was going to leave in secret.” 

“So… you’re giving up on becoming a Jedi Knight? And what about your mother?” 

Ben sighed. “I’m-- I’m scared. I don’t want to be forced to go back to the Alderaanian court. And I need time. You know… I never wanted to be a prince, or a Jedi. I wanted to be a pilot and a smuggler. Like my father.” 

Ben then cleared his throat, shifting awkwardly. “So… before someone else makes the decision for you, I was thinking… I mean, if you want, and you can say no, I mean, I’d love to if you said yes, but you don’t have to--” 

“You want me to run away with you.” 

Ben froze, afraid of what Rey’s reaction might be next. She picked up both his hands. “I-- I don’t know if leaving Naboo will be easy, or a good idea,” she continued. “I’ve been here my entire life.” 

He crossed his arms. “You only remember Theed. You haven’t seen that much.” 

“And I guess I’ll have to hear you brag about how well you know every single planet in the galaxy,” Rey sighed. “But… I do want to see it. Other worlds, I mean. I’d like that. But... ” Her throat tightened. “I need to say goodbye to someone. Please. I can’t just leave like that.” 

Ben frowned, but his features softened as he realized of whom Rey was speaking. He nodded. “Of course.” 

 

* * *

 

Ben had left a note for his mother: she’d see it only in the morning. She would know where he went: and by the time he’d be gone, it would be too late to hold him back. 

It wasn’t permanent, but he, as well as Rey, needed time away from the greater scheme of things, in anonymity. 

That night, on the landing pad, there were only three people and a BB unit, three of whom would fly away to Corellia, on the used ship Ben had got the same day. 

Finn was the only one aware of their escape.  _ Elopement.  _

Despite Ben’s fears, it wasn’t difficult for Rey to convince Finn to keep it all secret. Nevertheless, he was worried. 

“You don’t have to go,” Finn said. “It doesn’t have to be like this. I can find a way--” 

“I know you would,” Rey replied, attempting to keep her voice clear despite her throat tightening. “And I know Rose would, too. But in the end, you’re not the ones making the final decision. So… I guess you could say I’m breaking the cycle.” 

Finn attempted to smile. “Yeah. You’ve had enough crazy to last you a lifetime. But anyway, be careful.” 

Rey titled her head with an amused smile. “I’m always careful, you know that. And BB-8 will protect me.” 

BB-8 beeped in approval, brandishing his welding torch with pride. 

“And as for you…” Finn added, turning towards Ben. “If you let something happen to Rey, or if you’re the one hurting her, I swear, I--” 

“Yes, I know,” Ben replied, rolling his eyes. “You’ll hunt me down and kill me. Of course. You know, it’ll take more than a blaster to stop me, kid.” 

“I have a vibrosword.” 

Ben gulped. “Okay.” 

Finn nodded with a smirk, before turning again to Rey. He cleared his throat, but like Rey, he was unable to hold back the tears in his eyes. 

They hugged each other tightly, Rey burying her face in Finn’s shoulder, as she always did. 

“When you’re off duty, you’ll come and see me, right?” asked Rey. 

“Of course. I’ll come every chance I get.” 

“And-- could you… actually, do Ben a favor. Do it for me. Tell Leia I’ll watch over Ben. And that we just need some time away. Promise me?” 

“I will.” 

Without further ado, Rey pulled herself out of Finn’s arms, and followed Ben into the ship, BB-8 right behind her, but not without one last glance behind, towards Finn, and towards Theed. 

Leaving was now becoming very real, and Rey was torn between her thirst for exploring the rest of the galaxy and her fright at the thought she was leaving Naboo, after staying all those years, hoping for her family to come back. 

Now, she was running away. 

She closed the airlock behind her, heading towards the cockpit, where Ben was waiting for her. 

When she entered, Ben turned towards her, with another of his shy half-smiles in an attempt to reassure her. With his fingers fiddling all over the controls, his giddiness was obvious. Despite everything, Rey couldn’t help but smile. 

“I’ll have to learn how to pilot too,” she said. 

“I’ll teach you.” 

“Good. Then I’ll have to become better than you.” 

He smirked in amusement. “Well, maybe not piloting. But perhaps a better Force user than me. It comes more easily to you.” 

“So… a Jedi?” 

“Not a Jedi.” He remained silent for a few seconds. “Maybe something else.” 

“What, not a Sith?” 

“No, of course not. Though, you would make a wonderful Empress.” 

Rey glared at Ben. “Don’t--” 

“I was joking. However, milady, if you change your mind, I’m at your service.” He bowed his head, but Rey softly elbowed him, half-annoyed, half-smiling. 

“So, if we’re not Jedi, or Sith, what are we, then?” 

Ben remained pensive. “We’ll have to figure that out. We have time.”Do you want to be the one plotting the course?” he asked, pointing to the navicomputer. “Corellia’s right there.” 

Rey nodded, swallowing back any nervousness as she sealed her fate, leaving Naboo behind her-- for now. 

For the first time, she didn’t know what would be awaiting her: but now, there was a thrill to it rather than fright. 

It was a new beginning, for both of them. And this time, perhaps they would be able to leave the ghosts of the past behind for good. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who took the time to leave a comment. This is my last Reylo fic for an indeterminate amount of time.

**Author's Note:**

> I can be found at cosetteskywalker.tumblr.com!


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